Two Months to Die
by Sarimia
Summary: Summary inside:Halfway down the street I had to stop running. The tightness in my chest was too much. I took out my puffer,but then decided I shouldn’t use it. I shouldn’t depend on it. If I was supposed to die, then I would die.I don’t care anymore.Gaaoc
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Hanasu doesn't want anyone to know she existed, because it'll make it less** **painful for her and for everyone else when she dies. Because she has two months left to live, maybe less. However, Gaara, Shino, and Ryo, members of a band she recently joined find out about her illness. They vow to make her last days on Earth her best. At all costs.**

I coughed once, glanced at the computer screen, and hit print. I finally finished my story, the one I wanted to write before I died.

Pages after page of writing, as well as pictures and sketches flew out of the printer. The clock on my bedside table read 2am, but I stayed up until I saw every page printed. Tomorrow, I was going to take the pages into Language class and use the large paper-cutter there to split the pages into fourths; when put into a book, the pages were going to be only so big. I don't like big books. Just thick ones.

I shuffled over to my bed, rubbing my eyes tiredly. I picked up a puffer from my bedside table, took a puff, and fell into bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

* * *

My feet scuffed the floor of the school lightly. I was in a bad mood, and people avoided me like the plague. It was only the first day of school, and already everyone knew that I'm not one to talk to, or to mess with. 

Heck, I don't talk anyways, so what does it matter? It'll just make it easier on me if I have no friends when I die.

Homeroom was boring. Iruka-sensei told me that I'm supposed to show the new students around school. I guess he doesn't know that I don't speak. He's new anyways.

After homeroom, two students walked up to my desk. The first one, a girl, had long blue hair and really pale eyes, and her voice was really soft. The boy had red hair and sea-green eyes, which were black-rimmed. He reminded me of a panda.

"H-Hanasu, right?" The girl asked. I nodded. "I'm Hinata Hyuuga, a-and this is...well, I don't know his name y-yet."

"Gaara." The red-head stated in a bored tone. I like him. He doesn't speak much. Then again, Hinata doesn't either. He also has a strange tattoo on his forhead, the kanji for love.

"Um, y-you're supposed to show us a-around school...right?" Hinata asked. Again, I nodded, and took the schedules dangling from each of the newbie's hands. Gaara and I had first period together –language. Hinata, who had math, was on the way there.

I headed towards the door and motioned for them to follow me. I decided to be in a good mood, instead of flipping them the bird and walking out. Plus, it's not like I'm going out of my way. I don't have to talk, and I still get to my class on time.

Walking down the hall, people parted like the red sea. At least I think it was the red sea...Not sure. I'm not catholic. Behind me, Hinata attempted to strike up a conversation with Gaara, and failed miserably. Gaara talked in one- to four- word sentences. No idea why. I guess he's just not very sociable.

I paused at Hinata's door, pointing at her, then the door. She got the hint, and Gaara and I continued down the hall until we reached Kakashi's language class.

I like Kakashi. He's good-natured, and lets me stay at the back of the class, where I'm unnoticed. Plus, he doesn't call on me to answer questions or read anything, like other teachers. So pretty much, he's the best teacher currently in this school.

Before class started, and after Gaara had found a seat, I went up to the large paper-cutter and aligned the pages with the ruler. As I pulled the large blade down, Kakashi came up behind me.

"Ah, Hanasu, you finally finished that story!" I nodded. "Can I read it after class? I'll hand it back to you by the end of the day. Just stop by my room later." He knew he didn't really need to ask, and I handed him the papers (which he was going to bind to a book cover I made when I first told him I was writing a book).

Gaara sat beside me in class. I don't know why. He's confusing. I can read people easily, with so many years of people-watching on my hands, but occasionally, I'll meet people like Gaara. Those who look emotionless, though, are ones who feel the most pain. Take me for example.

I'm 15, grade 10, 5ft tall. My short and light brown hair was pinned to the back of my head and wrapped delicately with a yellow ribbon. I was wearing a pink hoodie sort of shirt, with buckles connecting to the sleeves. Although we have uniforms here, I choose not to wear them because the skirts show girl's underwear at the slightest breeze. So my skirt today was white and slightly ruffled, ending just below the knee.

Despite my 'innocent' appearance, I had a reputation at this school. In my first year, five boys asked me out within the first month. I didn't even know their names! I flipped them all off (with a certain middle finger) and the fifth guy was so persistant I had to punch him.

The next year, I gave up on punching boys, and started kicking them where it hurts. So boys started to avoid me.

That same year, girls began their gossip, mainly including me. I decided not to kick them. No, a punch smack in their high-held noses was good enough.

About ten girls went home with broken noses that year.

Not to mention the pranks I pulled before I came here. For some reason, tales of what I did in grade 7 to my old, and really nasty teacher had reached here.

Meh. Small town.

"Class dismissed." Kakashi inturrupted my thoughts, and the class erupted in chatter. Gaara turned to me.

"I have art next." It was sort of a hidden question. I took the schedule and flipped it over, to where a map (a very vague one at that) was photo copied. Pulling out a red sharpie, I marked a room with 'ART' in bold letters.

That map was so vague, it didn't even give any names or room numbers. Just the layout of the school.

I marked down the rest of his classes as well, and realized that we had last period together. Ignoring that fact, I handed the map/schedule paper back and headed down another hall, heading to –ugh, gym.

Gym, I must say, is probably one of my worst subjects. I don't know why they make me take the damn class, because I have lung cancer and should be excused. But time and time again, they always forget. Not to mention that our teacher, Mr. Halare (he's American, and insists on the 'Mr.'), is really strict and hates me just as much as the students in his class.

Meh.

I changed quickly and headed into the gym, always first one out. If I linger in the change room, the other four girls will start their teasing. It bugs me, but I get over it.

Once all the other students were out of the change room, Mr. Halare sent us to run five laps (I got tripped by five students, five times. Five isn't my lucky number, that much I can say.) and then do 15 push ups. I tried not to strain myself, and paused half way through the sit-ups to take out my puffer.

I felt a pair of eyes on me. I turned to see Sasuke Uchiha. We're not exactly close, but he's one of the people that doesn't hate me. Pity –vague pity—shone in his eyes as he watched me take the tourture without complaint.

Next we played a short game of soccer before our time was up, and I changed hurriedly, desprate for my lunch hour.

I burst out of the change room and headed for the doors at the far end of the school, stopping at my locker to shove my things in before continuing on. Just before I reached the cafeteria doors, I turned sharply and headed outside into the fresh September air.

Taking deep, cleansing breaths, I headed towards the tree line, walking slowly so I didn't have to pull out my puffer.

After a few minutes of walking, I found my usual spot; a fallen log a few meters from the path. There I sat, nibbling on a piece of buttered bread and listening to the wind, as is my past time.

Footsteps crunched on leaves, signalling someone coming this way. "Hanasu?" the person called.

I turned to see Sasuke, walking in all his glory (according to the Obsessed Fan Girls, or OFG, Sasuke is one of the top five hottest boys in school. What makes him even 'cooler' is that he isn't a playboy. In fact, he hasn't gone out with a single girl since he transferred. I wonder sometimes if he's gay.) up the forest path, brushing leaves and small branches out of the way. The path had only been trodden on by me in the past, so it was in need of a few trimmings here and there. But I liked it all run down, because then it dissuades others from trying to join me.

Well, it obviously wasn't doing a good job, seeing as Uchiha boy was walking through on the first day of school.

I raised an eyebrow in silent question.

"Hanasu, there you are. I have a question for you." I put my fingers in the shape of a gun, motioning for him to 'shoot'. "Why don't you speak up? I saw in gym, those people are deliberately trying to hurt you."

I shrugged.

I'm not exactly comfortable, being in the presence of popular guys. And Sasuke was one of those popular people. He was actually in a band, which added to his glory and fame. He played guitar in a band called Whirlwind. Kiba Inuzuka was drums; Shikamaru Nara was base guitar, as well as singer. Naruto Uzumaki was main guitar of it all, and Sasuke was also the lead singer.

And those are the four 'gods' of Konoha high.

No need to get into details, seeing as this is probably the only time I'll ever be 'blessed' with one of the member's presence.

"Do you want me to speak up for you?"

_Do you have blackmail?_

I shrugged, paused, then shook my head. There was no point in causing trouble for him. I continued to nibble on my bread.

Suddenly, as a breeze tickled my cheek with the help of a few strands of hair, I felt that something was wrong. Very wrong. I stood up abruptly, causing Sasuke to start. Looking around, I let my senses guide me out of the woods, continuing around the back of the school until I reached the furthest corner of the parking lot, hidden by dense trees.

A soft cry reached my ears, and I knew someone was in trouble. I glanced around, realizing Sasuke was right behind me the whole time. I gestured for him to come forward, and pointed between a few trees to the empty lot beyond.

* * *

**A/N: This has been bugging me for EVER! And it's a fairly interesting plotline, if I dare say that this story has a plot. Just so you know, I have about fifty thousand chapters written because I'm so bored during holidays, so review if you think I should do more. I'm probably going to post another chapter tomorrow or the day after if I get 5 or more reviews.**

**This Chapter is currently dedicated to Ocean, who's in Germany right now! Lucky her, she gets to skip a week of school.**

**Sarii**


	2. Chapter 2

_**A soft cry reached my ears, and I knew someone was in trouble. I glanced around, realizing Sasuke was right behind me the whole time. I gestured for him to come forward, and pointed between a few trees to the empty lot beyond.**_

That's the place they call the Pot Lot. Unless you've gone to smoke, don't go there. Unfortunately, Hinata had not known this and tried to use a short cut to get to town. The boys at the Pot Lot thought she had come for some 'fun', and their idea of fun was not pretty.

In fact, it either involved some sort of sexual harassment, or lots of blood.

Sasuke, the cold and kind soul that he was, barraged through the foliage and interrupted the Hyuuga's beating. I thanked the Greater Forces (I don't believe in God) that sasuke had the sense to follow me, as we rescued Hinata on time.

As Sasuke was distracting the boys, I slipped in and pulled Hinata to her feet, dragging her away from the area. She breathed a sigh of relief, and then fainted, most likely from the pain.

I carried her on my back to the nurses office (I didn't even know we had one until a teacher saw how bloodied up Hinata was and pointed me in the right direction) then slipped away to my locker, preparing for the next class.

I do not intend to make everyone's problems my own. I already have enough of them as it is.

I headed stoically to Math, where all the gossip gathered. How, well, in the form of sharpie ink staining the desks and walls. No matter where you sat, some girl manages to get their beloved sharpie out and write down who was hot, who was not, and who was going out with who. Other things made their way to the gossip room too, but it was rare when you saw things like, 'X-Men 3 rules!' or ' is a (murderer/maniac/druggie/etc.)' For one, no one cares about movies enough to write it down on the walls. Two, if someone's a druggie, they probably wouldn't need to hide it. Same for a maniac. Murderer on the other hand...Well, we've never had a murderer before. Hopefully that doesn't change this year.

Kiba Inuzuka, as well as Sakura Haruno, and Shino Aburame were all in my math class. Everyone else, I knew only by face, not by name.

I licked my dry lips, concentrating on the page of math scribble before me. But I couldn't help my eyes wandering every now and then to the wall, or desk, where I would see a familiar name here and there.

_/Sasuke's hot/_

_/Whirlwind was awesome last year!/_

_/Ino's a slut/_

These were all pretty much correct, but I wasn't so sure about the last one. Yeah sure, Ino likes to date a lot of guys within the time-span of one week. But that didn't mean she was a slut. Just desperate.

There was a new one as well.

_/Itachi's going to kill someone one day/_

Okay, that I haven't heard. Itachi is Sasuke's older brother; he's in college now, but he went to this school last year. The guy's pretty cold, but he was sort of like Sasuke; cold, hard shell, never dated anyone. No sign of going to snap any time soon.

I decided to figure out why the person wrote that.

_**/why do you say that?/**_ I wrote.

Not long after, the teacher called for our papers to be turned in and then we would be dismissed.

Once out of the classroom, I walked as quickly as I could without straining myself to my locker. I fished out my geography books and began to head for class. I was sadly interrupted. "Hanasu, correct?" some random guy wearing –gag—a spandex green suit with orange leg-warmers came up to me. His eyes were black, as well as his hair, which was in a mushroom cut.

I nodded.

"Lee Rock, pleased to meet you!" He shook my free hand vigorously, then finally said, "Tsunade-sensei wishes to speak to you."

Tsunade? The principal? She was just some random drunk old lady, probably picked off the streets and given a job.

I nodded once more, then headed for the main office.

I poked my head around the corner of Tsunade's door. I've never actually seen the principal before, and was shocked to find a lady looking around 30 years old, blonde pony-tails falling limply on her shoulders, a bottle of sake in her hand.

The gossip room was right. Tsunade-sensei IS a drunk.

"Hanasu, sit down." She said, indicating a chair across the desk from her. I obliged, and she began to talk.

"Hinata told us what happened at lunch, and Sasuke confirmed the details. So now I need to hear it straight from you. Did you rescue Hinata from serious injuries, or were the two lying?"

I shrugged. I didn't want to get involved in this kind of thing. However, I kind of knew somehow that Tsunade is an impatient person.

She took my shrug for a yes.

"Who was in the lot when you found her?" This time I stayed silent. She didn't know about my problem with speaking up. The pain it caused in my chest. Tsunade stood up, leaning her palms on her desk. "Hanasu! Answer me!" Yup, totally impatient.

I looked her right in the eye, transmitting a message that couldn't be spoken. She slowly sat back down.

"You...you're mute, aren't you?" close enough. "I apologize for using my temper. If I show you pictures of who Sasuke and Hinata thought they were, would you be able to point them out?" Again, I nodded.

I've been nodding too much. My head might fall off one day. One day soon.

But then again, I haven't been confronted by so many people in one day. I thought Sasuke was perfectly aware of all the gossip about me, that still seems to be interesting to this day.

Tsunade continued on to show me pictures, and I pointed to the ones I had seen in the parking lot. It ended up taking up my whole Geography period, but Tsunade gave me a personally hand-written note saying I was excused for class.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I am aware that no body reads this. But still, this chapter is dedicated to Yukina-hiei, for being the one and only person to review. I was surprised at the amount of readers; only ten people cared to glance at it...I wonder if something's wrong with the summary? Ah well, I never was good at those.**

**Heh, I laugh at those who had school this week. Monday, we all went to school. Tuesday, it rained and froze, so we all stayed home (besides those poor suckers who live RIGHT next to the school...litterally) Wednesday, buses were still cancelled. Today, I skipped, and tomorrow is National Family Day, so it's a P.A. day. Aren't I lucky?**

**Sarii**

**P.S. THANK YOU YUKINA-HIEI!!!!!!!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Tsunade continued on to show me pictures, and I pointed to the ones I had seen in the parking lot. It ended up taking up my whole Geography period, but Tsunade gave me a personally hand-written note saying I was excused for class.**_

I headed towards art class, where the students get a rundown on 'what is art?' etc, etc. The teacher wouldn't even let us do anything! And I had thought art would be fun.

On the way from my locker to last period, music, I had to go outside, cross near the Pot Lot, and into a series of attached cubicles. They were like tunnels, separated from the school, and the classes were smaller and more sound-proof. Music took up three of these cubicles, and the rest were practiced rooms. All in all, the whole place was like the huge music room. And Anko-sensei taught it.

I put all my books in my locker, not needing anything for music. As I was making the transition from the school building to the cubicles, a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me into the trees that blocked the Pot Lot from the rest of the grounds.

I was thrown to the ground, bruising my elbow. Fury erupted inside me. No doubt, as I looked up, it was the same people who had beat Hinata. They were totally wasted –I could take them easily. All they wanted was blood. Well, they'll get it.

I shoved my fist into the closest person's stomach, making him cough up blood. Whacking him on the head, I moved onto the next boy as he slumped to the ground. The problem with these guys is that they think they own the place; cockiness makes them weak. Not to mention that they were underestimating me.

The second one I took out easily; a simple kick in the jewels. The third, a punch to the nose, and a foot to the back of the knee and I was free to go.

I dusted myself off, took a deep breath to fight the constriction in my chest, and nonchalantly moved on to music class, where my favourite guitar was waiting.

Okay, so it wasn't my guitar, it was the school's. Someone had scratched 'Lassie' into it, and so we (everyone who used it) called it that all the time. It was also the best tuned one there, so everyone fought over it unless I was there.

Unfortunately for me, as I stepped into my practice room, the one room I always use, there stood the four members of Whirlwind.

I sighed, walked up to Sasuke, and wrenched Lassie from his hands, stalking off to a different room.

I was in the middle of practicing a song when the heavy-set door opened, and Sasuke walked in.

"Care to explain why you have blood on the back of your skirt?" He asked.

Honestly, what was so interesting about my life that he had to intrude? Is this some sort of project? 'Help a needy person and get 8 community hours'? Geez!

"It wouldn't have anything to do with Hinata, and what happened at lunch, would it?" I shrugged. More like they brought it on themselves. After all, the boys did challenge me.

Sasuke leaned casually on the wall, when there was a knock at the door. I managed to slip a glare at Sasuke for ruining my practice time, and then looked at the newest intruder.

Gaara?

"Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to intrude." He slipped back out again, followed by Sasuke. I have a feeling it had something to do with the look on my face.

I glared once more at the door, before I began strumming my instrument again.

------Yukina-hieiRules------

Walking down my street to my lonely house, I felt a pair of eyes on me. I glanced around, but no one was there...weird. I've learned over the years to trust my instincts, and my instincts tell me I'm being watched...

There's one thing that I absolutely love about my house and it's the large semi-circle, stone balcony that protrudes out from my room with French double doors and wispy curtains. I love moonlight; it's my most favourite thing ever. And so, that night, I went out in my nightgown (it didn't really look like a night gown; it was flowing white, with spaghetti straps holding it up. No details or anything, and simplicity was the beauty of it) and sat on the railing, with my short hair hanging loose. I had a few long strands that hung down to my chest, and when I tie my hair up, I usually leave those down.

I soaked myself in moonlight for the longest time, then opened my eyes. My balcony overlooked a lake, but you couldn't see it unless you were as high up as I was. My house was on a hill, along with the neighbouring house. The other house had an extra story, and two balconies; the one on the third floor was smaller, and you could climb onto the roof from it. The one on the second floor was equal to mine, and I could jump over if I wanted to. But I didn't, because no one lived there.

I did a double-take at the house on my right. The room with the large balcony, on the second floor, had the light on. Was someone finally moving in? I hadn't seen the For Sale sign taken down. Then again, I don't pay much attention to the house. I think it's haunted.

I heard Breaking Benjamin break the still air from the next house. Yup, definitely lived in. And by a teen, no doubt.

I decided to stay sitting on my balcony railing for a few more minutes listening to the music (I don't buy CD's, and I don't have enough money for a computer or mp3).

I felt eyes on me again. I turned to look around, but only saw the curtains from both balconies moving to the breeze. I closed my eyes again, this time ignoring the eyes on me.

I suddenly needed freedom. I jumped from the railing onto my balcony, going inside to get my shoes. Once I had some comfy sandals, I jumped down from the balcony and into the woods, walking slowly.

I bet I was out there for about ½ an hour, before I went back to clean up the kitchen a bit. When I glanced towards the other balcony, I was certain I had seen someone with bright red hair.

No one came to mind.

Well, one did. Gaara. But it's not like I care.

I was going to die soon.

* * *

**A/N: So I told Yukina-hiei that I was going to put up a longer chapter than the first, but I doubt this is longer. And I'll probably keep uploading small chapters until I get more readers...Man, I feel depressed. Dunno why. Maybe it has something to do with the amount of REVIEWS I'm getting...**

**So that's it. **

**Sarii**


	4. Chapter 4

The next day was as boring as the first, just slightly less eventful. Gaara still sat next to me in homeroom and Language, but he barely talked except to ask to borrow an eraser.

We had a pop quiz by Kakashi, so that he could see how much we knew. It was simply filling in the bubbles/blanks and all that easy shit.

I passed with flying colors. Maybe it's because I write so much. Gaara, too, got around a B.

Not like I care.

So I went on not talking to anyone, and no one talked to me. Except in gym, when they teased me. Sasuke shot me a meaningful glance, but I ignored it.

Lunch, as well as geography passed on without event. It was when music came around that something actually happened.

First, the boys from yesterday decided to try and take a shot at me again. I, obviously, beat them up, emerging from the bushes with only a scratch on my cheek. I even checked to see if I got blood on my jeans or black zip-up sweater before stepping out.

It was the action of stepping out of the bush that got me in trouble. I walked smack into something hard. Taking a step back and hitting a tree, I saw that I had run into Gaara.

Whoa. He's got some muscle under his shirt there. That was a surprise.

He looked at me, and then glanced through the bushes to glance at the three unconscious teens on the pavement. He looked back at me with a disapproving expression, which quickly disappeared as he took me by the arm and we went into music.

My curiosity bubbled up inside me. Really wanted to see why he went to music. Did he play drums? Keyboard? Guitar? I retrieved Lassie from Sasuke once again, put it in my practice room, then went to Gaara's to listen at the crack.

I heard an acoustic guitar playing, and Gaara shocked me by starting to sing...wow. He was good.

_Take a photograph,  
It'll be the last,  
Not a dollar or a crowd could ever keep me here, _

I don't have a past  
I just have a chance,  
Not a family or honest plea remains to say,

Rain, rain, go away,  
Come again another day,  
All the world is waiting for the sun.

Someone came up behind me. "Hana--," I put a finger to my lips, then looked up to see a boy who's hair was up in spikes, as well as Shino Aburame behind him. I motioned them to come over, and they gently pressed their ears up against the door to listen to Gaara sing and play.

_  
Is it you I want,  
Or just the notion  
Of a heart to wrap around so I can find my way around _

Safe to say from here,  
You're getting closer now,  
We are never sad cause we are not allowed to be

Rain, rain, go away,  
Come again another day,  
All the world is waiting for the sun.

Rain rain go away,  
Come again another day,  
All the world is waiting for the sun.

To lie here under you,  
Is all that I could ever do,  
To lie here under you is all,  
To lie here under you is all that i could ever do,  
To lie here under you is all,

Rain, rain, go away,  
Come again another day,  
All the world is waiting for the sun.

Rain, rain, go away,  
Come again another day,  
All the world is waiting for the sun,  
All the world is waiting for the sun,  
All the world is waiting for the sun. 

Finally, when the song was complete, we ran back to my practice room, where Lassie stood on her stand. I sat next to the guitar.

"Whoa. Gaara can sing... That I didn't know." The brown haired boy said. I picked up my note-pad, holding back a sigh. But this was something I had to ask.

"_Excuse me, but who are you again_?" I wrote. He looked shocked when I showed it to him.

"You don't remember? I'm Ryo Takashi, I was in your seventh grade class. You were so quiet; I guess you didn't really pay attention to your surroundings much." He told me. Ryo...I don't remember him at all. I remember every face I meet, and he looked a little familiar, but still...He must be socially invisible as well.

I shrugged. A regular thing to see me do, nowadays.

People were _talking_ to me! What do you expect?

If I were able to talk, I would be rendered speechless.

"Gaara can sing. Back on topic." Thank you Shino!

"I have an awesome idea! Shino, you play drums, right?" Ryo asked. Shino nodded. "And I play base and keyboard, and you play guitar," he spoke to me now, and I nodded...slowly. "And Gaara can sing, so why don't we start a band? We can rival those Whirlwind boys and be the biggest thing that ever happened to Konoha high!" Ryo was starting to get a little over exited.

Shino and I pondered the idea for a bit.

I doodled on my pad, thinking about the band thing. It would work out perfectly, too. Once I die, Gaara could play my guitar parts. 'I _honestly don't think I'm needed here_.' I wrote on a fresh piece of paper, without even looking at what I had doodled before.

"Of course you're needed! Only one girl in a boy band will add that hint of mystery to it! We'll go to gigs, and get a whole load of money from a single song!" My eyes shot up from the paper. Money was the exact thing I needed right now, and my job as cook in a fast food restaurant hasn't been bringing in a lot of cash. I've been coming in with less and less of a lunch, and my cupboards are always half empty.

I nodded, showing that I was in. "We need Gaara's permission," Shino said in a monotone.

We made the trek back across the hall and knocked on Gaara's door, and entered before he could say anything.

Shino and I stayed at the back of the room while we let Ryo do all the talking. He introduced himself as 'Ryo Takashi, one of Hanasu's classmates from grade 7' and continued to rant about a band.

"You eavesdropped." Gaara stated, interrupting.

I tried to melt into the wall. It wasn't working.

Gaara's eyes flickered to me. '_Curiosity_' I wrote on my paper. He seemed to let it slide.

"I'll join on one condition, and that is if you leave me alone unless it's practice time. I need to concentrate on my studies." It was then that I saw a paper sticking out of his bag. It was his math quiz, the same one I got today, and the one that I failed. I glanced at the mark. A-...Shit. I got somewhere around a C . My face grew slightly hot, and my lungs tightened with embarrassment. I coughed a couple times to clear them, and focused back on the conversation. Ryo was supplying most of it.

"What about a name?" Shino asked. Ryo fell silent. Gaara didn't say anything. I glanced at my notepad, and picked it up, showing them what I had doodled earlier.

Pla_N_** B**.

"Perfect!" Ryo exclaimed. Gaara leaned back in his chair, satisfied. I looked over at Shino, seeing the corners of his mouth turn up in a smile behind his collar.

They seemed to like it.

* * *

**A/N: Finally, the good stuff begins! And OH MY FREAKING GOD, I HAVE A #1 FAN! THANKS JORDAN!!!!!!!! YOU RULE!!!! Here's your Shino part! He plays a really important, albeit quiet, part in this FF. And I don't have to write too much right now, because I still have a chapter or five written in the background, but I need motivation to take the five minutes to download to documents, the ten to trim and edit it, and the three to put in this A/N. So please, review so I have a reason to spare 18 minutes of my precious and (to sound like Lee) youthful life of vegitating.**

**Rant Done.**

**Sarii**


	5. Chapter 5

We sat until the end of class chatting about which songs we could mainly play. I suggested Breaking Benjamin, as that was what Gaara was singing earlier with his guitar. There were a few other suggestions that Gaara said he could sing, and others he turned down. He had strictly disagreed to any screaming. Dunno why. Maybe he doesn't like it. I don't either.

After grabbing my bag from my locker, I started down the hallway to the main doors. On the way there, Gaara tapped me on the shoulder, pretty much saying, 'I'm walking with you, if that's okay.' I nodded to his silent question, and we walked in silence down my street. Was he coming over to my house, or did he live on the same street?

I got my answer when, as I turned in to my house, I saw him walk gracefully up to the house next to mine. So he lived next to me...That's new. I guess he was the one playing Breaking Benjamin last night.

As I unlocked my door, I realized what I had thought last night...The balconies were close enough to jump from one to the other with no trouble...I blushed scarlet and let myself in, closing the door behind me.

After dinner and work, I went out onto the balcony to listen to the silence. Well, the broken silence anyways. Gaara was playing over some music in his room.

After about 10 minutes of music, I got up and went into my room, cleaning up a little here and there. I paused as I heard a voice in the night air, singing in a soft tone.

_Sora wo miya agereba_

_Hoshitaichi ga hora mada tairu_

_Kono hoshi no hitodachi mitaini_

_Samazama na hikari wo hanatte_

_Sou, sou, dakara boku mo,_

_Hitoki mo kaga yaitaida_

_Me wo tojite kokoroni chikau_

_Nagareboshi ni yume wo takushite _

The last note hung in the air; the small verse was beautiful. Instantly, I knew Gaara had sung it. I stepped onto my balcony, hoping he won't be able to see me. Luckily, he didn't.

Gaara was wearing a black t-shirt and shorts; completely different from the school uniform. He actually looked a little intimidating, as he leaned on his palms over the balcony. Slowly, he stood back, taking his hands from the railing and walking inside.

I did quite the opposite; I had changed into my white nightgown before I cleaned my room, so I lay down on the wide railing and looked up at the moon. It was going to be full tomorrow, my favourite time of the month! Full moons are always lucky for me.

Feeling that same pair of eyes on me, I lay still, looking like I was sleeping.

I couldn't get into any relationships. Not when I was so close to dying. I needed to separate myself from the band slightly, just so that they won't bother me or talk to me as much. Being in a band full of boys was a bad idea, I could see that now. But I had no choice. I wanted to live as long as I could, and to live well. To do that, I must have luxuries.

Tomorrow I'm supposed to go to the doctor's after school. To see if I was any closer to dying yet. It seems like they're all eager to see me drop dead, I'm just a burden to them all.

My mind weighed down with sorrows, I sat up and looked at the silver lake, gleaming in moonlight. I sighed, a tear sliding down my cheek.

Something touched my cheek, brushing the stray tear away. I turned my head to see Gaara standing there, looking better than Sasuke ever would. And I mean it.

I shoved that thought out of my head. No relationships, I reminded myself.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly.

I took his hand and wrote with my finger, '_everything_.'

"I'm sure it'll turn out okay. But some things can't change." He said, his face ever-emotionless. He was beautiful in his own, lonely way. I suddenly felt like crying again, but this time for Gaara's unspoken past. He always seemed cold at school, but when I look at him now, I see a deep sadness, a depression that settled its roots long ago.

He caught me looking at him, and raised an eyebrow, again in a silent question. I wanted to hug him, but refrained from doing so. No relationships. I don't care. He is none of my concern.

I turned my soft brown gaze back to the silver lake. Soon enough, Gaara stood up and walked quietly back to his balcony. I watched him as he jumped across, leg muscles bulging. Graceful in every move. I won't be surprised if I find Gaara love notes in Math tomorrow.

Laying down on my white duvet, I replayed the night's scene. It seemed romantic. I don't want it to be romantic. I want it to be 'boy talks to girl, boy rejects girl, boy and girl never see each other again'.

I wonder what tomorrow's going to be like.

Whoa, that was weird. I've NEVER thought that line in my life. I'm always doing the same thing. For some reason, Plan B, the hospital tomorrow, Gaara, it...changes things. I wonder if I'll actually eat in the cafeteria...

* * *

The next day started off normally, with homeroom and English. Gaara didn't act any different than yesterday at school; still stoic and a little cold. I finally got my book back from Kakashi, bound and everything. He even handed me an address not too far off from the hospital, so I could go there and get a publisher of some sort after my appointment. 

Gaara seemed surprised that I actually wrote a book. He picked it up off my desk and read the title –which is actually kind of ironic for me. It's called 'This Changes Things'. It's about a girl who gets diagnosed with a disease, continues the hardships of high school waiting to die, finds love, and then dies in a street fight, 3 days before she was meant to die from the disease. 'The end,' Kakashi had said, 'adds a twist to the book. Definitely not what you'd expect, for a girl to die unexpectedly, 3 days before she was meant to.' All through Language, Gaara read the first few chapters of the book. He was going to give it back at lunch.

I breezed through math, failing another pop quiz and was reminded painfully of Gaara's A-. Lunch was pretty easy-going. I got my book back (he had finished it!) and did nothing else. I daydreamed through Geography, waved to Gaara on the way to Art, and sat in front of an easel.

"Think of anyone. Draw the first person that comes to mind." The teacher said.

I sat.

And thought.

And no one came to mind.

"Hanasu? If you can't think of a person, draw the person who you had contact with –be it a hello, a wave, or maybe you had a full out conversation—before you came to my class."

Gaara.

I picked up my pencil, and drew, coloring here and there. I practically seized the moment Gaara walked by, wearing a hoodie over his uniform.

I finished drawing, placing down my red pencil.

He looked...good.

I compliment myself.

"**Hanasu Yumei, please report to the main office.**" The loudspeaker called. I stood up and slipped out of the room unnoticed.

When I reached the office, Tsunade told me to go to the hospital. "the only open appointment is in 15 minutes, and it's a 10 minute walk."

So for 10 minutes I walked.

I got there right on time. Dr. Shizune told me to wait for a few minutes in a room while she gets all cleaned up. Once she came back in, she ran several tests, many of which consisting of me breathing deep. She took some blood, then my blood pressure, and quite a few more tests. They were, after all, determining when I'll die.

Once Dr. Shizune had the results, she came back in with a frown upon her face.

I looked at her questioningly.

"You have two months to live, at best." She said grimly. "At worst, it's about two weeks. We're uncertain. I forbid you from participating in gym. Try not to outdo yourself. No hitting people!" I shrunk. She certainly knew of my habits. "You're free to go. Take this; extra puffer if you need it." I took it gratefully and left. The bell had probably already rung by now, so I headed down the street to the publisher's building Kakashi recommended.

After handing in a copy of my book to the publisher guy, I headed down the street, turning a corner and passing several tall buisiness buildings.

Some movement caught my eye. There was a small boy walking down the street across the road, dressed in rags with no shoes, and skiny as a rail. You could see the poor kid's bones! Slowly, he sunk to the ground next to the building, and closed his eyes. He never got up.

I paused before I quickened my pace and crossed the street, heading directly for the kid. He looked no older than 6 or 7, and his dark hair was greasy; his face, covered in dirt.

When I reached him, the first thing I did was check for a pulse. It was faint...Barely there. I cast my eyes about the crowd, looking for a person who might help the kid. When I saw no one who even glanced our way, I picked him up and took him back to the hospital; he was surprisingly light.

Nurses took him from my arms the moment I stepped in. It's like they had been waiting for me or something...I sat down in a chair and observed the people in the waiting room. Some old guys, a father and young daughter, Shino...Wait, Shino? What was he doing here?

My eyes widened in surprise as he sat next to me.

"I told the nurses about the kid." He stated simply. I nodded. So that was why the nurses were waiting at the doors solely for our arrival.

The exertion caught up with me, and I coughed twice before pulling out a puffer. Shino's eyes, hidden behind glasses for some unknown reason, followed my every move.

A nurse soon came out of the kid's room, her facial features pulled down in sadness. "I'm sorry..." She said to Shino and I. "He died from hunger; there wasn't anything we could do. It was too late when you brought him here."

Oh my god.

* * *

**A/N: Finally, things are beginning to move. The wheel is slowly starting to spin, with or without your support.**

**I updated only because I missed my bus, and am taking a relaxing day off. Guess what; yesterday, I went to Fun Junction with my friends during school! Granted, it was a school activity, known as Winterfest around these parts, but still! So I played Lazer Tag, kicked BUTT!, rock-climbed(actually, that part was boring; too easy) played several other arcade games, and almost missed the bus heading back.**

**Winterfest is an event unique to our school. Students have the choice of skating on the Canal, skiing, tubing, going to the Imax, Fun Junction, Bowling, or in-school activities. Believe me, we all had fun.**

**My friends in Tubing said that they couldn't go to the usual slopes because they were coated in ice, so instead they spent over an extra hour on the road to follow the skiiers, and they only got to go down the hill six or so times because the line was so huge...I feel sorry for them. **

**So anyways, that's all for now. I'm hungry. I'll see what I can do about that. Oh, and most of the art that Hanasu does is inspired by pictures off of Photobucket; I just adjusted them a little. I'll try to get them up somewhere, but I'm lazy. It might be another month before I do anything.**

**Sarii**

**P.S. the song is a Shippuden ending, called Shooting Star or something like that...Yeah. **


	6. Chapter 6

_**A nurse soon came out of the kid's room, her facial features pulled down in sadness. "I'm sorry..." She said to Shino and I. "He died from hunger; there wasn't anything we could do. It was too late when you brought him here."**_

_**Oh my god.**_

Tears welled up in my eyes. Shino said something to the nurse, and then wrapped an arm around my shoulders as he led me outside. Once the cold air hit my face, I realized that the tears had already fallen. I held back a sob. Sadness for a boy I never knew...It makes me wonder what I'll do when I die. Or what others will do. But the boy was too young; I was surprised no one helped him...

No relationships. I pushed Shino's arm off me and ran down the street, heading for home.

Halfway down the street I had to stop running. The tightness in my chest was too much. I took out my puffer, but then decided I shouldn't use it. I shouldn't depend on it. If I was supposed to die, then I would die. I don't care anymore.

I just wanted to get away from this selfish world.

"Hanasu." I coughed up blood.

A tear slipped past my eyelid. I remained unmoving besides my wheezing.

"Hanasu...Hanasu!" Someone picked me up and carried me down the street.

I don't care.

Why do they care?

Why did the boy have to die?

Why did no one care for him?

The person carrying me set me down on something soft, then pulled out my puffer and forced me to take a breath. Once I was breathing a little better, he left me alone. I closed my eyes and slept.

* * *

**3rd POV**

Gaara walked down the street. He was a little worried; he hadn't seen her since school, when he passed her before class. He thought about when he had caught her beating up the people who hit Hinata; she had stumbled straight into him. What if it was those boys again, what if they were actually hitting her instead of the other way around?

His pace quickened. And though worried he may be, his impassive face didn't change.

A figure was running down the sidewalk. Suddenly, he or she stopped and slouched over, clutching their chest and sobbing, coughing up blood. Gaara ran.

"Hanasu." He said in a commanding tone, hoping that it was just a prank, and the red liquid on the pavement was simply ketchup or dye or something. A tear hit the cement, mixing with the blood. Hanasu didn't move, just coughed again.

"Hanasu..." Please stop, He thought. She slouched even more, lying on the sidewalk. "Hanasu!" Gaara crouched, picking her up bridal style. He half-ran back to his house and set her on his bed. Luckily, Kankuro was out with some new buddies, and Temari was at a movie with her friends. The house was empty.

Yeah, he could have taken her into her room, across the balcony. He knew she never locked the doors leading out. But something told him not to leave her alone.

He made her take her puffer, and then he sat in an armchair, and watched her fall asleep.

Fingering the puffer, he looked at the bottle. The medicine inside (stated on the label) was actually meant for asthma, but it said she had...lung cancer? There must be some mistake, how could she have lung cancer? Her parents surely would have paid for treatment by now...He wondered how long she had it.

But one thing crossed his mind as he fell asleep in the chair.

Why did they give her asthma medicine?

* * *

**Hanasu's POV**

I woke with a start, feeling movement in the room. Opening my eyes, I saw a blur of red and peach. The picture became clearer as I awoke more, and I saw that it was Gaara...Why was Gaara here? In my room?

Wait...Glancing around, I saw I was tucked in a black duvet, with deep red pillows. There was a mahogany dresser, and a deep red sofa with a black throw blanket. The walls were also painted a slightly different shade of red, or burnt orange.

Definitely not my room.

Gaara's room?

Most likely.

I opened my mouth as if to say something, then closed it again, remembering how much pain talking brought me again.

"You're awake." Gaara stated, standing over me.

No duh.

I tried to sit up and failed miserably. My lungs felt on fire; I brought a hand up to my throat, motioning for water. Gaara nodded and left the room.

Why am I still alive?

The running should have killed me.

Does Gaara have some sort of healing power?

Ha. That would be interesting. Gaara the Healer.

He came back in the room, followed by an older girl with her sandy hair tied in four pig-tails. I coughed as they both came to the bedside.

"Hanasu, this is my older sister, Temari. She knows a little bit about medicine and whatnot."

I nodded.

I'm going to need hinges in my neck one day.

Gaara helped me sit up (bringing immense pain, but I tried not to show it) and handed me a glass of water. I gulped it down, cooling my throat a little bit. Temari then placed a tray on my knees with a bowl of soup, which I also gulped down gratefully. I nodded my thanks as she took the dishes out, leaving me and Gaara alone.

He handed me a notepad.

My notepad.

He had been in my house!

'_Thief_,' I wrote. His cheeks turned a little pink.

Wait, was that emotion? I tried not to smile.

"Why didn't you tell anyone you had cancer?"

Shit. He found out.

I said nothing. I didn't even move the pen.

"Hanasu."

I turned my head away stubbornly.

"Hanasu, I..." Gaara paused. "I was worried about you. I thought you were going to die." He said after a spell.

I looked at him, eyes wide.

"You're the closest thing I have to a ...a friend." Ha admitted, sitting down on the edge of the bed, facing the wall.

I stretched out my arms, wrapping them around him. I felt Gaara stiffen under my embrace, but then relaxed slowly.

A picture of the little boy flashed in my mind, followed by my previous thoughts of 'no relationships'. I don't care how much pain it'll bring him when I die, if I want to live happily, I'll need a friend.

"Hana, is there anything I need to know? About your illness, I mean."

My heart swelled at the nickname. Almost regretting hugging him, I picked up the pen and wrote, '_I have two weeks to two months to live. After that, my time is up._'

I looked up at him grimly, not knowing what to expect.

He only nodded. "Okay then, I'll do my best to make your time on this filthy earth as happy as possible." He smiled. Gaara smiled at me. That's a first. "Now, sleep." I smiled back at him weakly as I lay back on the pillows and closed my eyes, not yet sleeping.

Once Gaara thought I was asleep, he got up from the bed and walked out onto the balcony, sitting on the railing and facing me. I kept my eyes closed, pretending to be asleep.

Softly, he began to sing in an unknown language, a beautiful, haunting tune that put me right to sleep.

* * *

**3rd POV**

Gaara watched her breathe in and out slowly. After he sang the lullaby he had written not long after the first day of school (he won't say why) she fell into a deeper sleep than before, and a tear slipped from her eyelid. Gaara smiled softly at the girl.

He had a friend.

* * *

**A/N: Please note that I do not have cancer, or have met anyone who does. I began writing this story on a whim, and after a few minutes of online research, began to plot. If there are any symptoms of cancer that are most commonly displayed besides coughing fits, please tell me. It will benifit the story.**

**Reviews would be nice too.**

**Sarii**

**P.S. For some reason, I feel like this is the worst weekend of this year. Maybe because I'm forced to do homework for a group project. I hate group projects. I'm usually ignored or used as a reference book.**


	7. Chapter 7

Hanasu's POV

The next day, I woke up in Gaara's bed again. I slipped out, still wearing the clothes from the day before. After changing, Gaara and I walked silently to school. I made Gaara promise not to tell anyone of the incident the day before.

During homeroom, I wrote Gaara a note.

'_Can you help me in math?_' It said. He nodded his consent, and said we'll meet up in his room after work.

Language passed quickly, and soon it was gym. I had prepared what I was going to do, it was short and sweet. Walk up to the teacher and hand him a note, saying that I am to be excused from all gym classes due to a medical condition. The note would include Dr. Shizune's contact info. If he had any questions, he could go there.

The plan went well, and soon I was sitting on the bleachers with a piece of charcoal and sketching random things.

Every now and then, I would look down to see Sasuke looking up at me. Every time I caught him, he would smile a little, pleased that I was sitting out.

Whatever.

Not my problem.

Looking at what I had drawn, I realized that it was once again another picture of Gaara. This time, though, it was black and white. Gaara was lying on his sofa, looking slightly exotic in his outlandish and also exotic room.

For some reason, I wasn't surprised that I had drawn Gaara again. Usually, I draw what's on my mind, or what interests me at the moment. The newest thing that made history in my pointless existance was Gaara. My nextdoor neighbor and friend.

I have a friend.

I smiled to myself as I gathered my things at my locker. I was the happiest that I have ever been since hearing of my disease. My first plan of avoiding all potential friends had failed. This was my plan B. To make friends and just be happy before I die.

I headed to my log to eat my sandwich, but saw Gaara walking alone and snuck up on him, making him jump a little bit. I grinned. Also a thing I haven't done in a while.

I pointed to the caf, where Ryo was sure to be sitting, probably bothering Shino.

Thinking of Shino brought guilt. Running from him was what brought Gaara to be my friend, though. I guess I should apologize.

Just as I thought, Ryo was dragging Shino to a table near the windows. When he saw us hesitate at the entrance, he waved us over. Gaara looked impassive about the whole thing, but I could practically see his uneasiness rolling off him. He must not like crowds.

I slipped a thank-you note to Shino when I sat down. No one saw. Ryo chatted away as I nibbled, and once everyone was finished eating, Shino suggested we go practice. Strange, I hadn't seen him take a bite of anything Ryo offered throughout lunch.

Sitting in the practice room, we talked about what kind of music we should do again. I strummed my guitar in the background thoughtfully. Gaara was also fairly quiet. I don't know what he's thinking as of that moment.

Shino, sitting on his stool, must have recognized what song I was playing. He started hitting a beat. Gaara cued in next, then Ryo. Ryo went to the back of the room, picked up a violin, stood near the keyboard, and we began the song.

_**I remember the days when we talked for hours  
And we were young; we thought we had superpowers  
We kissed the sky, expanded our minds, thought we could fly  
We were dreamers, and we'd never die  
We were young punks but we showed potential  
Us against the world, we weren't sentimental  
We weren't our problems, our age or our paychecks  
And we weren't taking anybody's sh... **_

If I knew now what I knew then, I'd  
Back up do it all again, I'd  
Take a bow, take it real slow  
Take a ride down the yellow brick road

Knew now what I knew then, I'd  
Back up do it all again, I'd  
Take a bow, take it real slow  
Take a ride down the yellow brick road

Come on, come on wise up  
Come on, come on wise up  
Come on, come on wise

The winters were cold but we had your parents basement  
This underground was for sinners and we embraced it  
Magic pills, fairy tales, Syd Barrett's ghost  
Oh, we'd all get on that spaceship  
We measured our lives in coffee spoons  
And those Friday nights quickly turned into Sunday afternoons  
We weren't our money, our muscles or our regrets  
We were having a mere life experience 

_**If I knew now what I knew then, I'd  
Back up do it all again, I'd  
Take a bow, take it real slow  
Take a ride down the yellow brick road **_

Knew now what I knew then, I'd  
Back up do it all again, I'd  
Take a bow, take it real slow  
Take a ride down the yellow brick road

I remember the days when we talked for hours  
And we were young; we thought we had superpowers  
We want our problems, our age or our paychecks  
And we weren't taking anybody's sh...

If I knew now what I knew then, I'd  
Back up do it all again, I'd  
Take a bow, take it real slow  
Take a ride down the yellow brick road

Knew now what I knew then, I'd  
Back up do it all again, I'd  
Take a bow, take it real slow  
Take a ride down the yellow brick road  
Take a bow, take it real slow  
Take a ride down the yellow brick road

Come on, come on wise up  
Come on, come on wise up  
Come on, come on wise 

I grinned. That was the first actual song we had sung all together. Ryo was grinning wildly, and Shino's smile, albeit small, was there. Apparently, Ryo was multitasking when it came to music, and so he knew some violin from his father and piano from his mom, while learning bass guitar by himself.

I looked at Gaara, and as our eyes met, he smiled at me.

We discussed that in a few day's time, after practicing some songs, we could go to Tsunade and get scheduled for a dance or something. We departed for our next classes, and my soul soared from the song we had sung. Together. I felt part of a group.

Art passed quickly. We were now working on landscapes with only a certain color of paint, and different shades. I painted a desert cave in orangish watercolors...ironic.

I left the picture next to the sketch of Gaara I made last class, signing it with my initials, H.Y.

I flew through Geograpy, the most boring subject next to History. I was eager for Music, which I had to resign from running to. The pain in my chest was worse than usual, most likely because I really over exerted myself when I ran from Shino.

Thinking of that day made my mind fly back to the boy that died. I quickly distracted myself as I picked Lassie up and went to Plan B's practice room. Everyone was already there, waiting for me. I sat on my stool as we decided what songs we were going to practice.

"Definitely 'Yellow Brick Road'." Shino said. I wrote the title down on my pad, as well as Panic! At the Disco. I showed them this, and Gaara nodded.

"I can sing that." He said.

"How 'bout Yellowcard? The acoustic version of 'View from Heaven' is awesome." Ryo suggested. Gaara nodded again. I passed him a note.

'_You must be able to sing a large variety of songs,'_ It read. He, again, nodded.

"Breaking Benjamin, My Chemical Romance, write those down." Gaara told me. I obeyed dutifully as the scribe. We wrote down specific songs to each band, and starred the ones we liked the best and could probably play. Once everyone had a copy of this, we split to practice in our separate rooms.

I was fiddling with Lassie's tuning as the door to the room opened, and Sasuke stepped in, closing it behind him. I raised an eyebrow, but ignored him until he spoke.

"Thanks for finally speaking up," He started. I looked at him.

'_Were you worried?_' I wrote, teasing him. He didn't seem to get the teasing note, seeing as I didn't say it out loud.

"Y-yeah, I guess I was. Naruto, Kiba, and Shikamaru too. Ever since you came in with blood on your skirt." At this I coughed guiltily, which started up another coughing fit. Sasuke kneeled next to me, patting my back.

"Hanasu? Are you okay now?" He asked, once I had finished coughing. Removing my hand from my mouth, I quickly grabbed a bunch of tissues and wiped the blood from it, throwing the tissues in the direction of the garbage can.

I wasn't fast enough. Sasuke grabbed the tissues right out of midair and peered at the blood.

"Hanasu, are you sure you're alright?" I nodded. "Is this what caused the blood on your skirt?" I shook my head, and wrote that I had fought the boys who hit Hinata that day.

Uchiha boy sighed. "We need to get you to a doctor. You need medical treatment of some sort, for whatever illness you may have that causes you to cough up blood. Come on." He grabbed me by the arm, despite my silent protests. I kept on shaking my head and attempting to pull away, but to no avail. Luckily, the moment we stepped out of the music classrooms' front 'office' the bell rang. Gaara, my hero, pried Sasuke's iron grip off me and stood in front of me, in case Sasuke tried to grab me again.

"Gaara, move. She needs to see a doctor." Gaara looked at me uncertainly. I shook my head, covering my mouth again before I could cough up more blood.

"Is this about _that_?" he asked, referring to my cancer. I nodded. He turned back to Sasuke. "Hanasu has already seen a doctor about her medical condition. It is none of your concern; please leave us alone now, Uchiha."

"It's worse than you think, _Subaku_." Gaara winced at his last name. Wait, Subaku? I've never heard Gaara's last name before, but wasn't Subaku the last name of some killer that killed his brother and wife, and attempted to kill his children as well? I looked up at Gaara, confused.

"How is it worse than I think, if you don't know how much I know?" Gaara continued, ignoring my curious gaze on him.

"Before today, she used to get bullied in gym." Sasuke said. I made motions for him to not say anything, but he only grinned. I guess I just silently told him that Gaara doesn't know. I slumped to the ground, defeated. Gaara looked at me in concern. Sasuke continued. "The teacher would push her too hard. The students would tease her and physically injure her. By her reaction, I'm guessing you don't know."

Gaara's brow furrowed in anger. "No, I didn't know. Hana," He said, turning to me and crouching down. "How come you didn't tell me?"

'_I didn't want you to worry, or get involved any more than necessary,'_ I wrote. _'even being friends with anyone is a little more than necessary.'_

"If having friends isn't necessary, then what is?" Sasuke asked.

'_living until I die. And even then, there's not much point. I'm only proving someone wrong.'_ The two boys persisted as to who I was proving wrong, but I stayed silent. Eventually, Sasuke left us alone, and Gaara helped me up, letting me lean on him all the way home.

After work, Gaara appeared on my balcony and helped me over to his. He must think I'm extra fragile now.

"What are you stuck on?" Gaara asked, and so begins my tutoring session.

By the time I hopped back over to my balcony, the current math that I was confused about was made crystal clear. In as little words as possible, Gaara had explained everything without going overboard, like the teacher.

I fell asleep to Gaara's haunting lullaby.

* * *

**A/N: Reviews are nice. They motivate me.**

**Unfortunately, I only got 2 reviews for the last chapter. That's 1 review per every 10 people, seeing as 20 people read it. Sad. Really sad. And this is my favorite story I've ever written for Naruto. **

**If I'm doing something wrong, please speak up. **

**Oh yeah, and I might not be able to update for the first week of May because I'm going to stay at my grandmother's, and they have no Internet. It's this Enrichment program I'm going to at a university; Micah and I get to do one course (Japan: Samurai to anime 241) for a whole week! It's going to so much fun! So I'll be able to type, and will probably put up a chapter before I go, and a long one after that specified week.**

**That is all.**

**Reviews are nice. Hinthint.**

**Sarii**


	8. Chapter 8

"Yo, Hanasu!" Ryo exclaimed, slinging one arm around my shoulder, which I pinched off. Shino was being dragged around again, poor guy. I think Shino is the only one other than me who doesn't wear the school uniform. Well, maybe he does, but it's always hidden under that large coat of his. I wonder if Shino can sing.

Heck, I wonder if all quiet guys can sing.

I tugged on the bottom of my shirt. The only one I had clean at the moment was a white, almost see-through shirt that just reached my belt. It was a little small, and I was planning on getting rid of it soon. Other than that, I had regular blue jeans and combat boots.

Gaara, too, wore combat boots today, and a silver chain was strung across his hip. I bet it was hooked to his wallet, because he wasn't the type of guy to wear 'bling'.

Shino and I waved at each other, and we headed for our beginning classes. I stuck to Gaara's side, afraid someone'll bump into me and my shirt would go flying up. Okay, that's a little unrealistic, but whatever.

Homeroom and Language passed easily, and Gaara and I split for art on his part and math on mine. I had slight more confidence now because of that study session last night.

Huh? I do believe that the teacher said there was going to be a change of schedule for this day only...the current art class was going to come over here? Wait, that means Gaara can help me! Yay!

Just as I predicted, Gaara was going to help me. We were building models out of tooth-picks and clay. Together, Gaara and I built a guitar, and it actually turned out pretty nifty. We split up after class, heading in complete opposite directions.

There was no point in me coming to gym any more. I don't see why I do. I decided to go anyways, so I wouldn't get a mark for skipping.

I sat up in the bleachers as usual, sketching again. This time I drew the gym class playing soccer. I froze the moment that Sasuke was passed the ball, drawing the rest of the class on full alert around him. I guess I chose that moment because Sasuke was the only one in this class that doesn't pick on me.

It actually felt nice, knowing that people worried ever so slightly about me. There's Gaara, who knows about my 'big secret', Sasuke, who wanted to help me when he saw I was bullied in gym. Hinata too, had talked to me a couple times after I had helped her in the Pot Lot.

I guess I was thankful that Shino and Ryo didn't know that I had any social problems or clinical ones. I don't want to include any more people, and I'm getting better at avoiding Hinata. Now I just need to drop Sasuke...

My mind was uncertain about Gaara though. When I'm around him, it's like my worries are lifted; he's the first friend I've had since I was twelve, and I don't know if I want to let the warm feeling go...

Before I knew it, the bell had rung and I was on my way to geography. I avoided the lesson by drawing and making myself invisible to the teacher (I have my ways). We had art next, and as I was getting my books I remembered that those who had math this period were going to join us in art.

As I stepped into the classroom and took my seat, my eyes flickered around the room. Besides the usual class, I spotted Shikamaru, Ino, and several others from the visiting math class. The door opened again without hesitation, and in walked Gaara –Gaara Subaku—with his face set in that ever-emotionless expression. He glanced at the people in class, and took an empty desk next to me (why? I have no idea! There were plenty of other desks he could have taken).

The teacher began the lesson, and Gaara and I ended up facing each other. We had to do a portrait of each other, using whatever materials available, with whatever background we wished. Without pausing for thought, I grabbed some paint and let the art take over my senses.

Once I had finished, I realized I had painted Gaara at a certain angle; it looked like the viewer was overlooking Gaara's tattoo on his forehead. I must say, I did a good job, though.

The class ended without me getting a chance to look at Gaara's work. Before I left the classroom, I managed to glance at his picture.

He was fairly good at sketching. I realized he had drawn me on my balcony, in the white night dress I wore the night after the first day of school. I blushed. Had he seen me that day? I guess it was a little embarrassing. I considered shutting my French doors, but decided against it. I have a slight claustrophobia, with my lungs being so constricted all the time.

I wandered the halls, deciding to skip the next class because I stupidly forgot where I was supposed to be going.

A turn left…then right…left again…Oh crap, a person! I crashed into the random person, falling on my butt. I looked up, tense at the fact that the guy was in a somewhat uncomfortable position above me.

Gaara.

So he skipped too? I sort of relaxed, knowing that he wasn't a pervert or anything like that. He helped me up, and pulled on my too-small shirt so that it covered my belly-button once again.

I blushed. I didn't even notice my shirt flipped up! My prediction from earlier had been right…creepy.

Without a word, Gaara and I wandered the halls together, walking aimlessly until I crashed into another person. This time, though, I didn't fall on my butt. Instead, the next best thing happened.

I got coffee all over my shirt.

The man apologized half-heartedly, but did nothing to fix his mistake. Gaara went to his locker (which was conveniently near-by) and pulled out some cloth, shoving me into a washroom (which was also conveniently near-by). I quickly changed into the read heads' black t-shirt. It was loose on me, duh, but it was rather comfy, and smelled nice…He obviously hadn't worn it yet.

With Gaara's black shirt hanging loosely from my shoulders, I tried my best to get the coffee out of my other shirt. Ending up unsuccessful, I decided to throw the shirt out when I got home. I left the bathroom, shocked to find panda-boy still standing there, waiting for me to come out. I nodded my thanks, and we wandered around school until the bell rang for music.

"Okay, so, you know that dance coming up? The Beginning Dance, the one we have at the start of every year—,"

"Get on with it." Shino interrupted. Ryo, apparently, had sugar, or was really exited about something.

"This had better be good; we're wasting practice time." Gaara drawled. The two of us were tired and lazy today, for some reason. Neither of us wanted to spend any more energy than necessary.

"Well, we're in." Ryo finished.

Wow. Detailed.

Note the sarcasm.

"In what?" Shino inquired.

"The Beginning Dance! We're booked to play 3 requested songs, from 8:30 'til the max is 8:45. PM."

I woke up slightly, Gaara's lips twitched, and Shino raised his head from a music book.

"Enthusiastic bunch." A new voice noted. Sasuke stood in the doorway of our practice room, along with the other members of Whirlwind. I scowled. Were they following us around or something? I bet they wanted to listen in on our practice so that they could be better…

"Can we help you, gentlemen?" Gaara asked politely, the scowl never leaving his face, and the hostile note carrying through his voice.

"I believe you can. We challenge you to a duel." Sasuke replied, ever so calmly. The air grew icy (not literally) as the two glared at each other.

"At the Beginning Dance. A face-off, if you will." Nara proposed, slouching.

The four of us looked towards everyone else. Gaara didn't want to turn down a challenge. Neither did I. Shino appeared to be against it, but Ryo spoke before Shino could call a meeting of any sort.

"We accept!" He almost shouted. Inuzuka and Uzumaki thrust their fists in the air, cheering.

"You're on!" Uzumaki shouted, before running down the hall, tugging the other members of Whirlwind.

'_This certainly is a turn of events,'_ I wrote.

Shino nodded.

"This changes things." Gaara said solemnly. I looked at him, wondering why he chose those words. He directed his gaze to Ryo, who was declaring what songs we should practice for the concert.

* * *

Finally home from work, I spread myself out on the balcony, dressed in blue flannel pj's. Gaara and I didn't have to study math at all today because of my messed up work hours, so I decided to relax in the time I had left before the day ended.

The clouds seemed to hug the horizon, trees brushing the undersides of the white puffs. Directly above, stars glittered against the black of the sky, and the moon stood out dramatically, like a queen amidst her subjects. Dazzling.

'I hadn't seen Gaara at all after school,' I remembered. I had left school earlier than usual and headed straight for work, so we hadn't walked home together. Come to think of it, I didn't even tell him that I was going to work…gah.

Gaara settled himself beside me, muscled legs hanging over the railing.

Well, speak of the devil.

I pulled myself up into a sitting position, neither one of us speaking a word as the night drew on. My eyelids felt heavy. Uncertainly, I closed them, hoping not to fall asleep.

* * *

**3****rd**** POV

* * *

**

Gaara looked down at the sleeping brunette, his face unnaturally warm as Hana's head rested on his shoulder. Slowly, so as not to disturb her, the redhead slipped off the balcony and gracefully lifted the girl, placing her in her bed.

Hanasu's room was almost completely opposite of Gaara's. Her duvet was pure white, streaks of light feathery blue falling across it. Her walls were also a feathery textured blue, the ceiling hosting fake clouds, painted to look almost like the original. It was elegant, and the wispy curtains fit in with the design beautifully. The room showed the innocence only Gaara and Shino noted in the girl.

Gaara hopped the gap between the balconies, images of the sleeping girl imprinted in his mind, wondering what was going to come tomorrow.

* * *

**Hanasu's POV

* * *

**

I woke up with an extremely loud yawn, starting to map out the day in my mind. Okay, so today is…

Oh shit.

It was Saturday. I hate weekends. I don't work on weekends, and often sleep the day off, but I fell asleep early last night. So now it was 8am, on a Saturday. Hoorah.

…

I'm bored.

REALLY bored.

I got up and headed to the laundry room, pulling out some clothes from the dryer. Green shirt, jeans, socks… Once I was dressed, I fired up the computer and blasted my music, randomly browsing Youtube for funny videos, most of which were completely stupid and unlaughable.

Gah. Saturdays suck.

* * *

**3****rd**** person

* * *

**

_-knock knock-_

Gaara sighed. He might as well get the door, Tamaki and Kankuro were probably busy. As usual. If it were those girl-scouts again with their damn cookies, he could always just scare them away.

He turned the cold knob of metal…and was met with screaming.

"God DAMMIT, Shino, why are you so DAMN QUIET?!" Ryo shouted.

"Ah, Gaara. Good morning." Shino completely ignored Ryo.

"DON'T YOU GO IGNORING ME NOW, YOU FREAKY PERSON!" The boy's loud voice became background.

"Don't 'good-morning' me. What're you doing here?" Gaara asked his 'damn quiet' friend, to put it in Ryo's words.

"Ryo dragged me out of my house, and we're supposed to do some extra practice."

"I see."

"Man of few words…" Ryo mumbled, finally giving up on screaming at them after an old lady threatened him with a broom. "So are we going to practice here, or at my place?"

"We can go to your place. Wait in my room so you don't disturb my siblings, I'll pull Hana out of bed." He gave Shino directions to his dark room and left the house bare-foot, heading obviously next door.

The door was answered after the third knock. Said knock was more of a bang, considering the exceptionally loud music coming from the higher stories of the house.

Hanasu's face was a look of obvious surprise at seeing Gaara on a weekend, and her eyes drifted down to his bare feet. She raised an eyebrow.

"Shino and Ryo want to practice." Gaara explained in as few words as possible.

Hana slipped her shoes on, following Gaara outside and across the lawn.

* * *

**Elsewhere… Or rather, Gaara's Emo-Red Room!

* * *

**

Shino's eyes widened behind his dark glasses. This was something he'll have to ask Gaara about soon…Really soon. Really, why does he have Hanasu's puffer in his room? And why were they giving her asthma medicine for Cancer?

"Whoa, look at this Shino, it's so…Cool! And strange!" Shino turned to see Ryo in front of Gaara's closet, pulling out a large sandy gourd.

Shino slipped the puffer into his pocket, his mind working a mile a minute.

* * *

**10 Minutes later, Ryo's house

* * *

**

Hanasu sat on a blue couch with Ryo, discussing the music, among other subjects including stage setups. Shino and Gaara were in the far corner of the basement/music room, whispering about a subject we know is extremely serious.

"…so she has lung cancer?" Shino was asking.

"Yes. Give me the puffer." Gaara replied.

"A few more questions. Why did they give her asthma medicine?"

Gaara sighed. "Still investigating that one."

"How long have you known?"

"Not too long." Gaara held out his hand. "Puffer. Now."

"Only if you promise to update me if her condition gets worse." Shino's eyes flashed dangerously behind his shaded glasses.

"…I promise." Shino handed the puffer over.

"Oy, two people don't make a band, y'know!" Ryo called. "Get over here, you two! Now, Shino, where would you like your drums to go on the stage?"

"What are the dimensions?"

"Well, the gym stage is…"

And so the day continued into practice. Shino worried. Gaara fretted over what he should do with Shino. And Hanasu was left in the dark about Shino's knowledge for the time being.

Of course, Shino had an idea growing in his mind all throughout practice…

* * *

**A/N: I wrote the last part during 'Therapy Couch', in other words, I was at Viki's and we were supposed to be filming this show I'm currently trying to upload onto Youtube. It's taking forever.**

**I'm a little disappointed that few people actually read this...**

**Ah well.**

**Ja ne.**

**Sarii**


	9. Chapter 9 Shino's Idea

**

* * *

**

-- Monday --

* * *

"Gaara, I need to talk to you." Shino had approached the red head at the beginning of school; the bell hadn't even rung yet. Ryo was chatting animatedly about one of their songs to Hanasu, which occupied both of the people who Shino didn't want to talk to at the moment.

After practice, bug boy had felt guilty he didn't notice it before. The occasional hacks and coughing fits, the puffer making them all believe that she had asthma, instead of lung cancer.

Why didn't he ask questions?

…What could he have done different?

But the past was the past, and Shino ignored the guilt for the time being and focused primarily on what he could do currently. A full investigation on Hanasu (secret, of course) should commence, hopefully getting a few answers from that. Not to mention that Gaara lived right next to her, which was reassuring. All that was left was to get the smile on her face more frequently, and help Gaara figure out why she only had asthma medicine.

The medicine inquiry obviously wouldn't take effect until later. The get-Hana-to-smile plan, though, could be put into action almost immediately.

Now if he could grab hold of Ryo during homeroom…

"Good idea. You talk to Ryo, I'll keep Hana oblivious." Gaara said in response to Shino's plan.

"Go to lengths to keep her away from the subject." Shino replied. "…This is the most exiting thing that's happened to me since the beginning of high school."

It looks like Gaara won't have to do anything with Shino after all.

* * *

**A/N: Just a few sentences, I know. But I couldn't think of anything else, and I haven't been motivated to write much other than this due to lack of reviews (hinthint). Actually, there's been a shortage of reviews throughout my profile. Maybe I should update more... Nah. Those people don't quite deserve it, even though I updated Silent Music...**

**The only thing that made me feel like writing this was the fact that I GOT MY AKATSUKI CLOAK! It came from CHINA! WOOT! I'm getting ready to head to the AnimeNorth Convention in Toronto.**

**Oh, and a kid in my class(grade 8), Sean, told me his sister reads Naruto Fanfics. And I know that this is a longshot, but if someone is Sean G.'s sister, give me a shout just because you can!**

**Sarii**

**... -sigh-**


	10. Chapter 10

**

* * *

**

-- Still Monday –

* * *

"Ryo, may I talk to you before the teacher comes?"

"Yeah, sure, I got lotsa free time. Now, what is so important that you have to talk to the almighty ME for?" Ryo grinned smugly, but the look fell when he got no reaction from Shino.

"It's Hanasu." His tone was so grave that even Ryo began to worry.

"Is something wrong?" The boy's chair, which had been leaning on the desk behind him, fell to the ground, signalling that he was paying attention.

"Not yet. However, Gaara and I have formed a plan…" And without explaining why they were doing this, he told Ryo of their plan. Shino knew that Ryo could make almost anyone smile, and he even got the other three stoic members of his group with jokes and pranks now and then. If anyone could make Hanasu happy, it was most likely Ryo, the joker of the group, or Gaara, who she seemed most comfortable with.

"SWEET!" Ryo punched an enthusiastic fist into the air, which was ignored by the majority of his classmates. "We're going to make this the happiest year of her life!"

Of course, to keep Ryo's mood up, Shino had told him that they had a year, instead of the two months Gaara had guessed at. (This guess was confirmed later in the day by a reluctant Tsunade.)

"…Thank you." Shino said before slipping into his seat unnoticed.

Class began.

Right after school, Ryo told us that he had to go shopping with his sister, elaborating on how boring the mall will be, and how much his feet will hurt afterwards from carrying her bags. He also exaggerated that he'd be 'thrown into a similar torture pit on Thursday', that time with his mom.

Shino had to go grocery shopping, and so Gaara and I walked home in a steady silence.

I noticed that Gaara would often sing under his breath when he was doing a quiet activity, such as art, or walking. It took me a while to figure it out, because it was so quiet. I strained my ears to catch the tune, the words inaudible. I relaxed at the tune; mixed with Gaara's deep singing voice, it was calming and would probably make anyone fall into a state of meditation.

I should ask him to chant some sort of Buddha monk thing for me. I'm sure it'd put me right to sleep.

When we reached my house, he watched me; no, more like observed me as I unlocked the door and stepped inside, waving as the door shut behind me.

I then kneeled on the carpet of the living room, dizzy and hacking up a storm. I managed to find my puffer, which subdued the coughing, and I staggered upstairs to collapse in my bed.

Ugh. One more side effect I had to be aware of. Dizziness. How would I be able to hide that from Gaara and the rest without having to sit completely still?

… My life is screwy.

I think I fell asleep.

The rest of the week passed similarly. Gaara always walked me home, and Ryo and Shino thought of so many excuses to avoid me after school I began to get suspicious. What were they planning? Something good, I hope. I'll just wait it out.

I only got dizzy once during Wednesday, in the middle of class. It was art, and I had to put my pencil down for a moment, but other than that I was fine. No one even looked in my direction. Ryo left with his mom right after the bell, confirming the story he told on Monday about the 'torture pit', which most adolescents call the mall.

On Friday, Shino walked home with us, saying briefly that he was going to hang out at Gaara's for a short period of time, and we made plans to get together to practice the next day. Gaara apparently knew when I wasn't working, yet he still doesn't know where I work—if he did, Ryo would be heading there every day just to chat with me.

Thank god that doesn't happen.

Anyways...

I pulled out my calender as soon as the boys dropped me off. It took a bit, but I also found a sharpie. I marked one day with a circle, and crossed out all the days from then up 'til today.

I also circled what was meant to be my death date.

Just living until then will be enough.

_"You'll never survive on your own! You're too weak for that!"_

_"I'll prove you wrong! By tomorrow, I won't live in this despicable house! I won't be in this horrible town! And I'll NEVER see you again!"_

_"You're gonna die... you'll either starve yourself, or die from your shameful weak lungs! HA!"_

_The sound of a slamming door... footsteps... a man's chortling humourless laughter getting quieter... _

_"I'll prove you wrong..."_

"I'll prove you wrong..."

"Hanasu!!" A familiar voice proclaimed loudly. A hand was on my shoulder, shaking me awake.

I looked up from the desk where I had unknowingly fallen asleep, rubbing the sore patch on my cheek (which had been pressed into my arm, leaving a red mark no doubt).

Gaara was standing above me. I gave him a questioning look, wondering what he was so frantic about.

"You... you spoke!"

I was about to say, 'well of course I spoke! It's how humans communicate!'

But then I remembered that I hadn't spoken in too long. My throat was scratchy anyways. I coughed, pulled out a piece of paper and picked up my sharpie.

_'You must have been hearing things. I don't speak.'_ Blue ink almost went through the page.

"I have excellent hearing, Hana. I'm a musician, remember? You said, 'I'll prove you wrong'."

My eyes widened.

"Your voice was rough, though."

Randomly, I began hacking. In a flash, my red-headed friend had a cup of water to my lips-- where did that come from?-- and I was gulping down the cooling liquid.

"It's gotten worse, hasn't it?"

I simply nodded.

* * *

**A/N: Whew! I finally finished a chapter! Sorry it's so short. Do you know how difficult it was to actually move this story along to a part where I could finally write something!? Bit by bit, I had written a sentence or two, or corrected a mistake every time I opened the document in May. But no more than a few sentences. I had no motivation.**

**Reviews motivate people. I'm going to try to update this story every week in June, and if I don't get much encouragement (two reviews would be GREAT) than it'll be every other week.**

**Deal?**

**Ooh, it's raining. I love rain. Where I live, we have some of the best thunderstorms.**

**According to my teacher. And he's been all over Canada, with kayaking and white-water rafting.**

**Well, I'm back from the AnimeNorth convention, and it was a blast! I took so many pictures! On youtube, mine and my friend's profile is RandomShedProduction. We have two videos of our time in Toronto.**

**Try and guess which person is me! **

**Sarii**

**P.S. Ooh, strong winds...**


	11. Chapter 11

"Hana, time to go. You don't want Ryo to go on a rant about being late again, do you?" Gaara's voice came through my bedroom door. I had kicked him out after he woke me up so I could change, but there was a problem…

I had no clean shirts in my room.

I pulled out a pen and paper, scribbling down a request for Gaara to go downstairs and get a shirt from the dryer. I slipped it under the door, and sat on my bed to wait.

"I'll be right back." I heard my friend's footsteps heading down to the next floor, a measured and calm pace. Just like Gaara to tell me to hurry up, yet he doesn't go fast enough.

The redhead made his way downstairs, heading for the laundry room. There was a load in the dryer, Hana had written, and she wanted him to get her the dark blue shirt.

Once he opened the dryer door, he realized that there were some complications.

She had about 5 different dark blue shirts.

One was a turtle neck with no sleeves, one was a v-neck with long sleeves, one was a t-shirt, one was a blouse, and the last was a hoodie.

Perfect sweat drop moment.

He grabbed a basket nearby, and pulled the clothes into it, settling for bringing the whole load upstairs.

As he did so, he blushed at the black lacy bra he had to pull out.

And the white panties.

Oh gods, why did his best friend have to be a girl?

Quickly getting over his embarrassment, he used a separate garment to lift them out of the dryer without touching them, and hauled the basket up the set of stairs and in front of Hana's door.

"Hana, I brought the whole load up." The door opened. Hana pulled the basket inside, and Gaara had to hold himself from gawking. She had a pj shirt on the whole time!! She could have gone to get the load herself!

The brunette just smiled and shut the door in his face.

Hanasu walked at a steady pace next to her quiet friend. The two were headed for Ryo's house, which they should have, but didn't get a drive from Temari. The results from this action caused Gaara to be over-cautious and not let Hanasu get too far behind, or out of his sight at all. No doubt Hana was irked… She didn't like attention too much, he knew.

Finally, with only one dizzy spell and two coughing fits, they arrived at Ryo's half-a-mansion house. Damn, he was rich all right.

Gaara rang the doorbell and entered, not bothering to wait for someone to answer the door. "Ryo." He stated calmly, his voice not too loud. Footsteps were heard from behind a white door, and Ryo burst though, causing Hana to jump and cling to a piece of Gaara's sleeve. She quickly let go, a blush coloring her cheeks.

"Yo! Ya finally made it!" He grabbed them, pulling on their hands and dragging them into the basement-made-practice room, where several instruments were already set up. An idea struck the one female in the room.

'_Can you teach me violin?'_ She wrote, directing the question towards Ryo, the only violinist around. He was at first surprised that their main guitarist would ask this, but he heartily agreed.

The main reason for the practice was to fool around with the new dj sound set Ryo's family had bought recently (Ryo's shopping trip with his mother). They decided to do a rap for one of their songs at the beginning dance, called 'Remember the Name'.

Another reason for Hana to learn how to play violin, if just one piece; there was no guitar in the song, and since Ryo was going to work the dj stand as well as backup sing, they needed someone to lead the violin 'squad' that Ryo had to put together as soon as possible.

That day, up 'til noon, was spent with Hana's lessons and figuring out the dj set. All in all, it was productive.

They ate at what some would call a fruit buffet upstairs. Hana had a watermellon piece in her mouth, and Ryo was chatting amiably about how well she took up violin ("It must be her guitar skill!") when Shino pulled his glasses off.

No one would be too concerned at the boy polishing his glasses, now would they?

However, the moment he put them back on, Gaara and Ryo (one on either side of Hanasu) stood up and pulled an object from the drawers of the table.

**A/N: Okie, the end of this was last minute, but thanks for the inspiration from the reviews! I'll be updating once a week after school on Mondays. Tomorrow, I'm taking a day off school, so I'll try to type up as much as possible then.**

**My class has a substitute teacher tomorrow, however LAST time we had a sub, I kinda told her off for not respecting the class's views, opinions, and my own religion (which is currently non-existant).**

**For some reason, my stories seem... well, the writing seems bland. I know what's going to happen, somewhat, but I can't seem to find the writing rhythem in this story...**

**I'd also like to advertise another one of my stories; Defying Gravity, a Fruits Basket fic. It's sequel is No Good Deed, a Fullmetal Alchemist fic. And I'm currently typing up the third, the title of which is in the works as well. **

**Unfortunately, as enthusiastic as I am about this series, no one seems particularly interested. We'll see how this goes.**

**Sarii**


	12. Chapter 12

_However, the moment he put them back on, Gaara and Ryo (one on either side of Hanasu) stood up and pulled an object from the drawers of the table._

Hana looked at them questioningly.

Ryo grinned, Gaara remained the opposite; a completely blank look, yet it seemed that the twitching at the corner of his mouth was a hidden smile.

"Happy Birthday!!" They exclaimed (well, Ryo exclaimed, Gaara and Shino just simply said) simultaneously. They twisted something in their hands, and confetti flew above the girl's head from 3 different dimensions. A banner suddenly flew down from the ceiling, claiming the same thing the trio of boys just proclaimed.

The watermelon was set carefully back down on to the plate. A pen was picked up, and exchanged for a black sharpie. Silence reigned for half a minute as she wrote.

'_**WHAT THE HELL?!' **_Hana's face remained uncompassionate, adding humor to the situation. Ryo broke out in fits of laughter, and the corner of Gaara's mouth raised slightly.

Shino decided to explain.

"Gaara had noticed your calendar Hana. Even though you didn't tell us, you had written your birthday down."

She sighed. Glared at the redhead. And ate a piece of watermelon.

Ryo laughed harder than before with this completely random action. Once he had recovered, he seemed to perk up in remembrance. "Shino, what about _that_?"

"Ah, yes, _that_. Gaara, would you mind getting _that _for us?"

Hana was suddenly afraid. The boys were being incredibly secretive, something that she obviously disliked (A/N: hypocrite) due to the frown on her face.

Gaara left the room, only to come back with two presents in each hand, followed by a beautiful black-haired girl (later introduced as Ryo's sister, Fawn) carrying another present, as well as a blank white box.

Fawn immediately placed the white box and present on the table, introducing herself. Gaara followed suit, minus the introductions, and pulled the lid off the white box, revealing a cookies 'n' cream cake with a flower (referring to Hana's name meaning) painted on the top.

In the middle of the flower was a picture of Hanasu smiling, most likely taken by a hidden camera or something. Beneath the flower picture, curvy letters spelled out, _'Keep on smiling'_.

Hana smiled, a sign of thanks towards all the people present.

She then promptly dipped her finger into one of the flowers' petals, licking the icing off her finger with a grin.

The chaos known as teenagers eating cake ensued, and once the dessert had disappeared, Shino placed a gift bag in front of her.

The presents given were as follows; Gaara gave her a brand new sketch pad, as well as charcoal to draw, two fancy pens, several pencils, and five different oil paints. Shino gave her a completely blank white shirt and a pair of jeans, as well as fabric paints and a few designing tools. Ryo gave her the most expensive gift, an electric guitar. His sister supplied some fancy and slightly girly stickers to put on it.

All three received a hug for their efforts. Hana was never expecting a birthday quite like this, and so when hugging Shino, tears began to spill over. The dark haired boy noticed his coat getting wet, and wiped her tears away, offering tissues.

Of course, once Ryo noticed the crying girl, a group hug was bound to follow. Gaara was resistingly pulled into the fray.

Hanasu's tears slowly stopped, and she laughed silently with Ryo and his bouncy sister.

_Don__'t worry about a thing,  
cause every little thing gonna be all right.  
Singin': don't worry about a thing,  
cause every little thing gonna be all right!_

**A/N: I called Hanasu a hypocrite because she had tried to be secritive about her illness to everyone... Now look where it got her, a beautiful birthday party complete with joy-filled tears and group hugs! I'm not joking... If you have a terminal illness, don't try to hide it, people won't like it. They'll just throw awesome parties for you and give you brand new guitars.**

**So thanks to my mom (ain't that sweet!) for paying for a good portion of my summer clothing.**

**And I have to ask; does anyone think that my writing is bland? Be honest, please. I need to know if I should get a little help from freak a geek or someone on this. I don't really like writing this story as much as my Fruits Basket/FMA/soon-to-be Death Note trilogy.**

**The song at the end is Three Little Birds, originally sung by Bob Marley. **

**Ryo's sister will have a small tribute chapter in the future, if I need something to write.**

**Sarii**

**P.S. I guess I should dedicate this to Viki. Although she won't read it.**


	13. Chapter 13

Okay, dizzy… Whoa, I hate this side effect! I think Gaara is starting to notice as well.

Come to think of it, I haven't even had my puffer with me for the past day or so… it's been at least a week. A week without a puffer or coughing fits, and a week off of my life.

Well, there was a good ending to that week, anyways.

During math today, there was FINALLY an answer to the question of Itachi's sanity, and if he was really going to snap or not.

_/He's getting obsessed with power, talks about killing his parents/ _Was what the person had written.

So okay, an adolescent talks about killing his parents. No big deal, right? He's a little power hungry, but I guess the wealth of his family finally got to his head. After all, there's a complete district for the Uchiha main and branch families.

Itachi is in the Main family. Most wealth, smartest, most likely strongest too. Sasuke was like a mirror image of him.

I thought up a reply for the anonymous comment. After all there wasn't enough info. And I was info-hungry, I guess you could say.

**/not enough reason to suspect him. It's more typical than anything/ **I wrote.

Now… continuing on with the day…

Right after music, Ryo held us all back for a few seconds, handed Gaara, Shino and I envelopes, and ran off with –surprisingly—not bouncing around. I think he must be anticipating something, and maybe he's nervous about it? I wrote out these thoughts and let Gaara and Shino read them over; they agreed. He did seem nervous about something.

Of course, Gaara and I opened our envelopes as soon as we got home. It turned out that Ryo was nervous about a concert, apparently one that was BIG in the classical music world. We both suspected he was most likely playing in the concert. _Dress fancy_, Ryo's handwriting said on a separate piece of paper.

The show was the next night, which was a little unexpected. But I guess it was okay, I had no plans. I decided I should wear a deep blue blouse (which looked like it had stars built into it) and a knee-length white skirt for the occasion.

And so the next day after school, Gaara and I headed out, meeting up with Shino and his parents drove us to the music hall. Gaara was dressed in a black suit, no tie, and Shino wore a dress shirt and pants. Amazing, he didn't have his giant coat.

After exchanging comments about each other's fancy clothing, we buckled up for the sort ride out.

I'll have you know, Shino's dad is even creepier than Shino. And you could see where Shino got the 'large coat covering everything' idea from.

Shino was a clone. I swear…

The music hall was HUGE!! The moment we stepped in (with Gaara and Ryo watching me like hawks for some reason, don't think I didn't notice) there were multitudes of people, and the ceiling was really high up. Large crystal-like chandeliers hung from said high ceiling by shiny chains in rows of three, creating a grid of 9 spots of light throughout the square room.

Mind you, this was just the entrance hall. The music hall itself, from the outside, was a giant black dome. I've never been inside, which explained my large grin.

"There are rumours that they remove the outside cover of the dome on clear nights." Gaara spoke.

"We'll be able to see the stars through the glass windows." Shino commented.

This only made me more ecstatic, and I had to restrain myself from running ahead of the boys. If I did run, the slight overwhelming feeling would grow to a dizziness, I was certain.

Walking into the dome, I discovered that the boys were right. The ceiling seemed made completely of glass and shiny steel beams, and made the hall look much bigger than it was. The seats (some of which were built into the tall walls) were covered in cushiony black velvet. The stage curtains were of the same black velvet, but with points of silver acting as stars. Lights shaped like candles hung on the walls in between the balconies, a soft glow falling over the room. The whole place reminded me of Phantom of the Opera.

The tickets Ryo gave us were front row seats. Unexpectedly, he wasn't there. The orchestra I had thought would be just in front of the stage wasn't in the usual spot either; in fact, there wasn't one. What were we here to see, exactly?

Unfortunately, the tickets didn't explain anything.

As we sat down, the theatre seats began to fill up. Once they were practically full, barely any empty seats, I broke out in a tiny coughing fit, this one not as bad as what they're working up to be. Gaara placed a hand on my back as I bent over, and Shino handed me a handkerchief. I'm glad these guys were my friends.

Did I honestly say that I didn't need any friends a while a go? Sheesh, well, I take that back. Friends are definitely in style in my life.

Snapping back into reality, the crowd clapped as the Curtains rose. Ryo stood on stage, a microphone in hand.

What the hell?

"Ladies and gentlemen, friends and enemies," The crowd chuckled, "thank you for attending our concert tonight. The students of Youtube High, Meyer High, and a few guest appearances including myself, have worked hard to get to this point in their lives. We've indulged in the music of the classical world, and practiced several times daily, and have finally reached the stage we call the Music Hall. We hope you enjoy our performance."

Everyone clapped.

"First up," Ryo continued, "is Edward Cullen, playing Claire De Lune on grand piano."

This Cullen guy, who looked like a Greek god missing the tanning season, played this piece beautifully. Several more people played, some on piano, others on wind instruments, and more on string instruments.

I was enchanted, drawn in by the beautiful music, and the students' talent. I wish I could play as well as them, but I knew no classical music, and could only play the guitar. Despite the fact that my violin lessons were going well, I was nowhere near these guy's levels.

A new person stepped out onto the stage with the microphone. She introduced herself as Maggy Johnson, and she had short red-gold hair. "So far we've all been playing instruments, but wood, metal, and string nailed together isn't the only thing that can make music if played properly. Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm honoured to introduce the top music graduate of Konoha high, Fawn, and her younger brother, Ryo, who will accompany her angel voice on the piano."

We clapped. I was still in a dazed state from all the wonderful music, and was even more dazed when Fawn and Ryo came on stage. Fawn took the microphone from Maggy, the siblings bowed, and Ryo seated himself at the grand piano.

Ryo began to play a version of a song I recognized as 'How to Save a Life' by The Fray. The song had drums as well, not to mention guitar and bass, but the talented boy had figured out how to play it without the other instruments… I was stunned.

Fawn sang.

It was like she was some sort of angel, or something. She sang better than the original person!

Once their song was done, the theatre erupted in cheering.

Maggy once again walked out onto the stage. Ryo and Fawn didn't move. Instead, several people walked out behind Maggy. They spaced themselves out across the edge of the stage, obviously waiting for something. A few people moved around behind them, transporting a drum set, and a bass guitar. The players of these instruments tuned up and stood at the ready.

Ryo was the first to play. All voices chimed in after a few seconds.

_Five hundred twenty-five thousand  
Six hundred minutes,  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand  
Moments so dear.  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand  
Six hundred minutes  
How do you measure, measure a year?_

* * *

**A/N: Happy Birthday to mee!! 23rd of June, yay!!**

**So I had Ice cream cake, watched Howl's Moving Castle (some of it; I love that movie!) and had Chinese for dinner. freak a geek gave me a toque, but she sewed ears on it and it's so cute! Oh, and there's a heart painted on the left side, so it's Gaara-ish as well. Horray! Mom gave me Phantom Hourglass for DS (zelda game) and I'm flying out to New York on the 3rd. Just in time for Indipendance day. I'm not American, but my cousins are, and they want me to celebrate with them. I'll be gone for 3 weeks, but hopefully I'll be able to drag along my laptop and type something or other up.**

**Song at the end: Seasons of Love, from Rent.**

**I love that song. I guess it's a b-day present to myself.**

**Oh, and Ocean and freak a geek both drew awesome pictures for me, because I didn't want any presents that cost money. And I wanna drag them out to the cottage this weekend. **

**School ends Wednesday. **

**This is a good week, no?**

**Sarii**


	14. Chapter 14

Gaara was in the hospital.

No, he wasn't injured. None of his friends or band mates was either. He had walked in and demanded to know who Hanasu's doctor was. Of course, once he had gotten a hold of Shizune, he wasn't able to find anything out about Hana. That kind of info was classified, and only family and close friends (which had to be confirmed by the patient) were allowed to know anything.

Gaara's annoyance with the hospital staff isn't the main point of this chapter though. The main point comes along with a small blonde girl, about 8 or 9 years old. She was in a wheelchair; her left leg was broken, in a purple cast which had been signed by her friends and family that had come to visit. Grinning wildly, she was talking animatedly with a boy a year or so older than her, same hair color. Her brother.

A man stormed into the reception room. Jean jacket, ripped pants, unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth; he looked as if he hadn't washed in days. He probably hadn't, with that stench wafting off of him.

Our favourite redhead noticed him immediately, and recognized the type of person he was. After all, there were several unpleasant encounters with such men in the past, not to mention his father, before he died, was also quite similar.

The man's eyes were on the blonde girl, and no one else. He stomped up to her, ignoring the nurses asking him to put his cigarette away, or go talk to the lady at the desk if he wanted anything.

Shoving the girl's brother out of the way, he lifted the poor girl out of her chair. "You Wretch! Do you know how much money this cost me?! You're gonna have to pay it back in full! Or do you want to die here?!" The man pulled out a knife and waved it around.

The girl herself shook with fear, her brother in a similar state, still sprawled on the floor. Both had their eyes wide, fighting the urge to run or fight back.

The knife suddenly clanked to the ground as a hand encircled the wildman's wrist. Gaara glared full force at the guy, ready to possibly kill him. "Know your place, monster. This is a hospital."

"You wanna mess with me, boy?" Snarled the man.

"I should be the one asking you that question." In one movement, he had twisted the girl out of the man's grip and pulled the person's arm behind his back, slamming him to the ground. "Someone call the police."

The girl's brother helped said girl back into her wheelchair, shooting wary glances at who could only be the authority figure in the household, expecting him to break free of Gaara's grip at any second.

The secretary at the desk hurried to do so, and five minutes later (with a very uncomfortable and struggling man) the police arrived, carrying the man away to jail. A woman stayed behind to talk with the children about the incident, and Gaara was held for questioning as a witness and was told to stand by in case he was called as a witness before the jury.

It was two hours later that Gaara was released from the station, the questions finally over with. He'd had to leave his phone number though, and wondered what Temari and Kankuro would think when or if they got a call from the police. They'd probably assume immediately that Gaara had done something…

He sighed. Why did people peg him as the one to stir trouble? He only wanted to stay out of the way.

On another note, Gaara had realized something. He wasn't the only one with family problems. No, in fact, there were way too many like him. Like the girl, and her brother. Like Hanasu.

Speaking of which, she was just spotted going into a store: Value Village.

Huh.

On instinct, Gaara followed. It was practically second nature for him and the other boys to watch over Hana. She was like a little beacon, unknowingly calling them to her side.

_Gaara? What are you doing here?_ A paper was shoved into his face, courtesy of Hana noticing her red-headed friend.

"Browsing." He replied, quick on his feet. He most definitely wasn't going to tell her what he really had been doing…

Not a chance.

_Okay. Me too, I guess._

The corner of Gaara's mouth tweaked up, his dampened mood suddenly lifted.

Beacon, indeed.

* * *

**A/N: REALLY short, I know. I just can't come up with anything. And yes, I am aware that the last time I updated was a few months ago. I'm focusing on my other crossover story (third in a series) Upside dowN. **

**Sorry for my procrastination, I don't want writing to become a chore though. It's more of a release than anything.**

**How was thanksgiving? I got fuzzy warm pj pants!! Speaking of which, I think they've just been washed... I'm going to wear them ALL DAY tomorrow! It's cold!**

**Sarii**


	15. Chapter 15

"Gaara, phone for you," Temari called up the stairs. They only had one phone, which was unfortunately (yet fortunately) a cord phone, mainly to keep Kankuro from chatting like a high school girl all day.

Without a word, the red-head came down from his room, picking up the object on the side-table. "Hello?"

Temari watched with curiosity. Her little bro rarely even left the house for something other than school, but recently he was going out on weekends with the girl next door and a few others, and now phone-calls… She smiled. Finally, he had friends.

Her expression changed to the polar opposite of what it once was—happiness to shock—as Gaara's blank face turned to one of surprise and worry.

"…What?"

In a flash, the phone was in the cradle, and Gaara was putting his shoes on.

"Where are you going so suddenly?" His sister asked.

"Hospital."

_Eh?_

"What happened?"

"Not sure yet. Hana is there."

"You're not going to walk there, are you?" Temari received a look that pretty much said that he was planning to, and would get there by any means possible.

She grabbed the car keys.

"Get in the car." she sighed.

Well, her brother's friend was injured. This was the least she could do.

* * *

"Gaara! Shino, Gaara's here. Are you his sister?" Ryo burst out, the loudest being in the emergency waiting room.

"More like chaperone right now. Temari, nice to meet you."

"Is she alright?" Gaara interrupted, worry straining his facial features, making him look almost like someone else completely.

Yet with those three words, threaded together to create a question, it sobered Ryo's happy atmosphere right away. "Man, you picked the worst day to skip school. She collapsed in—Shino, what period was it?"

"Period 2. Apparently she wasn't breathing right since 1st period, and fainted in 2nd."

"_Shit…"_ Gaara mumbled, cursing his bad judgement. WHY did he have to skip TODAY?!

Temari stared at Gaara, amazed at how much emotion he showed around the two boys, and based on an injured girl. He must really trust them…

A nurse entered the room. "Is there a Shino Aburame, or a Ryo Takashi here?"

"Yeah, over here."Ryo raised his hand.

"Please follow me, the test results are in."

The two mentioned, plus Gaara, followed the lady through two doorways, ending up in a room with several charts and x-rays. Temari stepped outside, pulling out her cell phone to update Kankuro on their little brother's life. After all, they were older siblings, right? They had to look after their brother. They had to look after Gaara.

* * *

"So…" Ryo sighed, the quietest he'd been all day. "They're going to remove your—what did they call it?"

Hanasu was in a disinfectant-smelling hospital room, under some pure white sheets. Despite the situation, she managed to smile at Ryo's memory, and said, "It's my voice box. Don't bother with technical terms."

Her voice was raspy, and extremely quiet, but that was okay. She was heard anyways.

"Oy—you spoke!"

Gaara, Shino, and Hana looked at him funny as he pointed, surprised, at his friend. "Did you think she was mute?" Gaara asked.

"Well… yeah, since she never spoke…"

Sigh.

Palm, meet forehead.

"You do know that this means you'll never hear her speak again?"

"…Oh… So why do they gotta take your voice box away?"

"If they don't, I'll die."

Oh.

Wow.

"Before this, I had gone to the hospital and they told me I had two months to live. Then they ran a couple tests and said--," Hana sat up to cough, Gaara moving to help her sit up. Shino handed her a glass of water, which she drank gratefully. "The tests showed that I had half the given time. Then they said that I would live if they took out my voice box. That's where the cancer is."

"…Why were they giving you asthma medicine for cancer?" Gaara inquired.

"I couldn't afford cancer medicine."

"Bullshit! They can't do that!" Ryo burst out, but was cut off by Shino, who covered the boy's mouth with his hand.

Again, Hanasu smiled.

Footsteps could be heard in the hall. Voices accompanied them, arguing.

"It was room 246!"

"I-I'm pretty sure i-it was 241."

"You sure?"

"Y-yeah…"

The door burst open. Sasuke and Hinata stood in the entrance, both panting.

Hana waved at them. Hinata shyly waved back.

"Idiot," Sasuke reprimanded Hinata, "This isn't the time for pleasantries. Hanasu, what happened?"

"She collapsed in period…" Ryo trailed off.

"Period 2." Shino filled in.

"Déjà vu…" Gaara mumbled.

"I know that, what's the root of the story?"

Hana gave him a questioning look, when he finally noticed her lack of a notepad.

She took a sip of water.

"I mean, what made you get cancer in the first place?!"

The patient motioned for the door to be closed. As Hinata did so, the girl began to talk.

"It's not much of a story. The members of my family—meaning my brother, step-father, two step-brothers, and my step-mom all smoked. I was prone to the second-hand smoke that floated around, and no matter how much I tried to tell them not to smoke in the house, it didn't work. When I told them I had cancer, they didn't believe me until the doctors told them. Shit happened, and I decided to move out.

"My brother told me I'd never make it on my own, that I probably wouldn't even die from the cancer itself. So… I'm proving him wrong."

Again, that smile.

Gaara had had it.

"Stop smiling!" He ordered. "You're never going to talk again, so why are you smiling?"

"…Because so many people came. You, Shino, Ryo, even Hinata and Sasuke, whom I don't even really know…"

"Speaking of which, why ARE you two here?" Ryo interrupted.

"T-Temari called us and told us what happened." Hinata answered.

"Oh. Well, okay."

"So… you smile because you have friends?" Shino asked.

"Yes… I didn't know friends could be so much fun, or give so much happiness. I love you guys. That's reason enough to smile."

It was contagious; soon enough, Ryo was smiling too, and Hinata, and Shino, behind the collar of his coat. Sasuke and Gaara remained stoic, utterly broken up about what was going on.

"Everyone each has their own reason to smile. Smiling for friends is my reason…" Hana coughed.

Soon enough, a doctor came to take Hanasu to the surgery room. The group filed out of the cramped place to head to the waiting area. Gaara lagged behind, and so as the doctors wheeled Hanasu out on her bed, she managed to catch the edge of his shirt and hold him back.

"Before… I can't say anything anymore… I wanna say this… Gaara, I love you." His heart skipped a beat. Or two.

But then she was gone. Down the hall, out of sight.

Gone?

No. She would live, he would make sure.

* * *

**A/N: YAHOO! I finally got the chapter up! I feel doubt that anybody will read this, but hey, I love this chapter, it's kind of heart warming to me.**

**So how's life? We've got snow here; at least a foot. And I despise the cold. And I deliver the papers. So you see how that works out.**

**But I'm not gonna quit, I need the money for ANIME NORTH!! I CAN'T WAIT, even though it's next year still. Moving on.**

**This chappy is dedicated to you. Also, to my two friends who'll never read this, and never know that they had a chapter written in their name, Berna and Allie. And I guess I'll dedicate it to everyone I've ever known, everyone that's ever changed me. **

**I dedicate this chapter to friends. There.**

Sarii


	16. The End

**Two Years Later**

"_You're pathetic! You can die for all I care; you probably won't even die from the actual cancer! Go on, then. Get out."_

"_I'll prove you wrong. I'll live. I'll start my own life, and then you'll see how wrong you all are."_

"Hey, did you year? That new band is wicked cool!"

"I heard they originated because of a school project."

"Is it true that the girl almost died?"

"Didn't her boyfriend try to kill her?"

"No, she wouldn't be in the same band as him if that happened!"

"Eh? Who's her boyfriend?!"

"The lead singer, dumbass."

Ah, how things snowball. Rumours flew, and I sat in the crowd, simply listening in. No one noticed me, as per usual. I was dressed better than the usual find-the-first-clean-clothes kind of wear, in style-ripped jeans and a black t-shirt. My hair was longer, but held back in a pony-tail.

The crowd tensed with anticipation as it got closer to show time. It was an open theatre, meaning anyone could come, and donations were appreciated. It also meant that if there was bad weather, the show wouldn't continue. After all, it was _open_; to the people, and to the sky. The stars shone down upon the gathered, but no one bothered to look up. I took special care to avoid doing so; for some unknown reason, looking at the stars made me sad.

And tonight wasn't the time to be sad.

Eventually, the curtains opened, and three boys stood on stage. Two had microphones. One silently stood behind the drumset. According to the girls I was eavesdropping on, they all looked _hawt_.

The guy with brown hair began to speak. "Hey everyone!" The crowd cheered, and he shushed them with a raise of his hand. "I'm Ryo, these are my buds Gaara and Shino! Now I'm sure you've heard the rumours; this was a four-person band, right?" More shouts arose, then faded. "Well, we can't find our fourth member anywhere. Wanna help us look?"

As he was talking, I slinked off to the side, still half in the front row. No one was sitting at all; there were no seats. I climbed onto the stage, out of sight of the two with Microphones, and picked up an electric guitar, all plugged in and everything.

Ryo pretended not to notice as he began describing my features. I proceeded to tuning my guitar, and Gaara tapped his talkative friend on the shoulder. By now, many people were laughing and pointing at me.

"WHAT?!" Ryo barked playfully. "I'm trying to find Hanasu, you know!"

"She's right there." Gaara deadpanned, pointing.

"Oh." He paused, then threw himself back into the enthusiasm of the night. "Alright then, looks like we're ready to get started! Meet Hanasu, everyone!" He gestured towards me as the multitude of people cheered. I made several hand motions (that shushed the crowd, though it wasn't intended) and Ryo blinked.

"Hanasu says Ryo is an idiot," Gaara translated for the audience. I nodded in confirmation. The people roared.

"We are… PLAN B, people!" Ryo roared right back at them, managing to get them louder than before, if possible. I beamed at my fellow band mates and launched into the beginning chords of Until the End, by Breaking Benjamin.

The night went smoothly, and finally, it was time for the last song. It was my favourite, and had actually requested to play it. I didn't expect them to put it as the last song—such a spot was often reserved for the best song.

Is it just me or a message from above  
Bells are ringing, push has finally come to shove  
The door before me now is opened just enough  
I'm sick and tired of waiting  
For dreams that never come  
Like a game I never played in  
And still wish that I had won

I'm Alive  
Got one shot and I'm taking it to you  
I'm Alive  
I've come to realize not a moment too soon  
This is my one small step  
This is my Walk on the Moon

Don't you think their hands were  
shaking as that rocket ship touched down  
I'm sure they shivered  
when they finally touched the ground  
The giant leap so fragile  
that it hardly made a sound  
But it must have been amazing  
What a world they got to see  
So I don't care, my foolish fear  
Won't get the best of me

I'm Alive  
Got one shot and I'm taking it to you  
I'm Alive  
I've come to realize not a moment too soon  
This is my one small step  
This is my Walk on the Moon.

Was it the best song?

The crowd certainly seemed to think so. They cheered so loud it was deafening! The rush of such attention mixed with adrenaline caused me to grin insanely at my band mates, who returned the favour. Gaara's grin was more like a smirk…

But I couldn't help myself, and I placed my guitar on the stage floor, and then ran up and into his arms, kissing him full on the mouth. The people around us cheered louder, and there were several 'encore' cries that I was certain I heard.

"Hey, Gaara," I whispered into the redhead's ear, "I think… we're famous."

"Yes, Hana, I believe we are."

He gave me one more kiss before placing me upright on my feet. We took our bows, said our goodbyes, and disappeared into the night…

Okay, not really. We ended up sitting along a plastic fold out table with sharpies in hand, autographing people's shirts or PLAN B merchandise. Yes, we were famous alright.

I sat between Ryo and Shino, something about 'funny business' between myself and Gaara, but it confused me. Whatever.

"Uh, I'm Greg," said a boy, probably our age, who was getting a t-shirt signed by Ryo, who would soon pass it to me. As I signed my name, and scribbled the picture of a flower next to it (a pun on the 'Hana' in my name) the brunet spoke again, "Uh, is it true that you can't speak?" He asked me.

I smiled up at him, but nudged Ryo with my foot, so he could explain.

"Hana had a sickness a while back, and pretty much got her voice removed. She can whisper, but even that's straining."

I made motions with my hands.

"Yeah, that too. She talks with her hands, most of the time."

"Oh, I see. That must be sad."

Greg left. I looked at Ryo with a raised eyebrow. Molded words with my hands.

"…Yeah-huh. Say Shino, Hana says we should make a public announcement."

"About what?"

"That she's mute."

"How many…?"

"Seventy-two people asked about it already."

Shino chuckled. Gaara leaned across the table with questioning teal eyes, feeling left out.

I smiled at him, and he mirrored my expression. The night filled it's glass with our laughter.

Eventually, the crowd thinned out until there was only the odd person who stepped up to our table to get something autographed. A shadow fell across the dewy grass, attracting our attention and smiling faces.

My grin fell as I saw who it was. Ryo greeted the guy, shook his hand... but Shino was the one to ask who he was. Shino and Gaara had both seen the look on my face-- I was a little bit scared.

The man ignored Shino's and Gaara's attempts to figure out who he was, but when I placed a hand on the redhead's shoulder and caught his eye, I shook my head, telling him to stop.

The newcomer spoke first. "Hanasu. You... You really did make it on your own. You proved me wrong... Congratulations." The dark haired man smiled softly, a silent apology of actions from the past.

I stuck out my hand in a brave action-- he took it, and we shook. A silent forgiving.

"Now get the hell outa here," I said hoarsely. He laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, never enough time for your own brother... By the way, news from home-- step-mom left the house, abandoned all us 'children', and dad. ...I'll see you around, Hana."

Then he whispered something, so quiet that only one who spoke in that volume constantly would catch it. All four of us heard the words. The whispered apology.

_"I'm sorry."_

"**That **was your brother?" Ryo stressed. I nodded. "Wow."

"What?" Shino inquired.

"He's... he's _hot._"

"Ryo... are you gay?"

"I might be _now! _I blame your bro, Hana!" I laughed at him.

The stars winked from above, and all was good... in my world.

* * *

**A/N: So I finally finished it.**

**Wanna know why?**

**Because I found the document again. Mum had my memory stick in her travelling bag, and we found it maybe an hour ago. BUT I FINISHED THIS STORY!**

**Out of all the ones I've got posted, this is my favorite. Sure, I love the concept of the Defying Gravity series, but it's so cliche'd and Mary-sue'd that it just ruins it. **

**Anyways...**

**Congrats to me. Finished a story. Finally. Feel free to ask any questions, and if there are any loose ends, please point them out! I'll fix them right away!**

**Love you all, thanks for your support!**

**-Sarii**


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